Conservative Myth Building and Breaking

In what is hopefully a final post-election post-mortem Harold Myserson scores some good points in the Washington Post this morning.

To the increasing defections of conservatives from the ideas behind the war in Iraq, Myerson nearly defends Neocons by putting the lie to the idea that the war was solely the handiwork of the notorious cabal:

To argue that Iraq was not the conservatives' war requires expunging every congressional vote, administration speech and talk show rant of the past four years.

Good point, but incomplete. The fact is that the neocon fantasies, relentlessly promoted by the Fukuyams, Perles and Kristol, were the dominant conservative ideology. Other cons were coned and bought it lock stock and barrel. Support from the war in fact had no other origin, no matter who we can conveniently point fingers at now.

It's important for people who think about these things the keep the blame for the destructive "philosophy" of the neocons squarely where it belongs. The must remain discredited, or they will quickly become resurgent. Even now they are all over their dedicated media with exhortations to initiate a war with Iran. They must not be let off the hook, for the minute they are, their ideological rampage begins anew.