A nifty article on the neocons, and how they have changed over time. Not the neocons themselves, but the concept. When it was first used, the term referred to former liberals who found themselves siding with the right against Communists and were then driven further right by the excesses of the left during the '60s. In the 80's, neocons were most closely associated with the idea of propping up friendly dictators to achieve stability, an idea which Bush has thrown in the trash can. Bush is doing an absolute 180 from what 80's neocons pushed, yet somehow Bush is being a called a tool of the neocons. What can we glean from this? One, many people, especially on the left, consider the term "neocon" as derisive, often used in an attempt to create a gap on the right. Convince the religious right, for instance, that their ideals are being swept aside by the rise of the neocons, despite the fact that the people they are calling neocons are calling for pretty standard conservative ideas. Two, many people have taken to calling anyone who is Jewish and disagrees with them on the right as a neocon. Three, people are calling anyone who supports Israel from the right a neocon, again in an attempt to create a gap between them and the rest of the GOP, despite the fact that no such idelogical gap exists.

At any rate, next time you hear someone called a neocon, take it with a grain of salt, and don't use the term to associate anyone with any particular ideas, because there is no such thing as a neocon.