The Conservative Coalition

Interesting post by publius on "The Structural Foundations of Neoconservatism" that, among other things, points up one of the reasons, I think, that the neocons and the theocons could hang together for as long as they have:

To back up, Mann does a good job laying out the basic intellectual foundations of neoconservatism, including its Straussian influences. Personally, I think the whole “Straussian noble lie” is a conspiracy theory too far. The real influence of Strauss upon modern politics was his Manichean worldview of absolute good and absolute evil. Evil (or tyranny) existed, Strauss believed, and strong action was necessary to confront it.

The Straussian legacy that matters, then, is his absolute certainty in “our” own goodness and in the “Other’s” evilness. That’s the true theoretical underpinning of neoconservatism -- everything they espouse follows if you are certain that you are good and certain that you are fighting evil. If arms control treaties or the UN or torture statutes prohibit fighting evil, then they must be put aside. It’s as un-Burkean as you can get. As Andrew Sullivan has explained at length, doubt is a far better foundation for conservatives. [UPDATE: One point I should have stressed better is that the most practical harm of neoconservatism is its extreme over-reliance on military force to solve problems and to pursue goals. This militancy, in turn, is made possible by underlying certainty of one's correctness.]

The theocons, of course, don't need to be convinced of their own rightness -- God told them they're right, so it's so. Both movements are essentially authoritarian, the theocons because their beliefs come directly from a source that can't be questioned, the neocons because their militaristic bent requires a strong central authority.