Failure to Learn

Ex-Neocon Francis Fukuyama (who was hit with the anti-semite slur at one point) talks about the failure of Neocon's to learn.

What I find remarkable about the neoconservative line of argument on Iran, however, is how little changed it is in its basic assumptions and tonalities from that taken on Iraq in 2002, despite the momentous events of the past five years and the manifest failure of policies that neoconservatives themselves advocated. What may change is the American public's willingness to listen to them.

If we assume the Neocons are smart people, the failure to learn needs to be explained some other way. Perhaps emotional bias is a factor? Emotional bias arising from an attachment to Israel and its well being combined with a romantic view of the danger Israel faces. A view that is often more paranoid than that held by the Israelis' themselves.

Guardian