Heresy at National Review

by | Mar 2, 2004

From the typewriter of–gasp!– Bill Buckley himself:

It is being claimed, ever more widely, that neocon policies are determined by the advantages they bring, manifest or putative, to the State of Israel. Patrick Buchanan, in the current American Conservative, believes this ardently, while the most quoted advocates of neocon militancy, Richard Perle and David Frum, go further than merely to deny that neoconservatism is an Israel First world view. They insist that criticism of neocon policies is, at heart, anti-Semitic.

At this point, you’re probably thinking that Buckley is just going to stick it to critics of Frum and Perle. In fact, he does spend most of the essay arguing, none too convincingly, that neocon policy only advances Likud’s interests insofar as those interests coincide with those of the U.S. But check out Buckley’s conclusion:

It’s an unreasonable polarization of opinion: 1) everything a neocon advocates is animated by a concern for Israel, and, 2) every criticism of neocon policy is animated by anti-Semitism. That is straitened thought, and should be resisted.

Sounds like Buckley took Buchanan’s words to heart and decided to send Frum and Perle a rebuke, albeit one softened by some criticism of their detractors.