On Idealistic Hawks (Neocons to the Vulgar)

The commentary about the Georgia crisis at The Weekly Standard and Commentary, and by John McCain, makes me as uneasy with this brand of conservatives as anything in the last two decades. Max Boot et al seem to be urging a bellicose response with little or no sense of our commitments elsewhere, and the moral support of Georgia seems not to take into account the possibility that 1) the Georgians were not born without sin; and 2) Saakashvili looks more and more like an intemperate fool with each passing day. "Georgia's ports and airports will be taken under the control of the U.S. Defense Department," says Saakashvili--this is either a fantasy, or something which you don't say out loud until it's happened.

I'm not a neocon. I prefer the Cheney/Rumsfeld model, aggressive pursuit of American interest, with an eye to our ideals, but not at the sacrifice of our interests. I think one ought to listen to the neocons, just as one ought to listen to libertarians, social conservatives, etc. At this moment, I would listen a bit less to the neocons, and I would note that their judgment here casts some doubt on their judgment in general.