But it's a summary of the evolving opinions expressed by neocons.

The Evolution of the Neocons
From cynics to believers.
Michael Kinsley
April 17, 2005

The term "neoconservative" started out as an insult, and it is still used that way. When people say that the selection of Paul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank marks the triumph of neocons in Bush administration foreign policy, they are generally not indicating pleasure. Some cynics even say the "neocon" label is anti-Semitic: Doesn't it just refer to a Jewish intellectual you disagree with?

That's way too harsh. But what does neoconservative actually mean? Rich Lowry, a conservative of the non-neo variety writing in the current issue of the National Interest, defines a neocon as someone with a "messianic vision" of using American power to spread democracy, an indifference to the crucial distinction between what would be nice and what is essential to national security, and excessive optimism that we can arrange things according to our own values in strange and faraway lands.

Seriously, if you look you'll see the neocon cohort has hung together as their public opinions flexed and flowed. Based on that, I'd say "neoconservative" actually means "a member of a club that believed it knows better than anyone else how things should run, and has the connections to pursue that power."