And they were fiery anti-Communists. So they gravitated toward conservatism without becoming full-fledged conservatives. Before long they were keeping friendly company with William F. Buckley Jr. of National Review and being welcomed at gatherings of more traditional conservative intellectuals. The theme of Tanenhaus's article, in fact, is that neoconservatism today defines the mainstream of American politics. Not only Republicans, but Democrats like Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Joe Lieberman have adopted something of the neoconservative posture.
Neoconservatism has no essence, no defining principle.
Even Norman Thomas, the old American Socialist leader, would probably be called a neoconservative today. Not that the neoconservatives, especially Kristol and his wife, don't have many interesting things to say. But their insights don't add up to a distinctive philosophy. At their best, they are in accord with an older conservatism. At their worst, they accept the status quo of the limitless state, unrestricted by the Constitution.