Although it isВ generallyВ understoodВ that American neoconservatives pushed hard for the war in Iraq, this book forcefully arguesВ that the neocons'В goal was not the spread of democracy,В butВ the protection ofВ Israel's interests in the Middle East.В ShowingВ that the neocon movement has always identified closely with the interests ofВ Israel's LikudnikВ right wing, the discussion contends that neocon advice on Iraq was the exact opposite ofВ conventional UnitedВ States foreign policy, which has always sought to maintain stability in the region to promote the flow of oil.В Various players in the rushВ to war are assessed according to their motives, including President Bush, Ariel Sharon, members of the foreign-policy establishment, and the American people, who are seen not as having been dragged into war against their will, but as ready after 9/11 for retaliation.