Here are some of the revolting (except for one) points Last makes:

The Republic had become so large that the Galactic Senate had become "sclerotic and ineffectual." Last likens the Galactic Senate to the U.N., which he similarly disdains for failing to intervene militarily all over the place. Since the Senate is so slow and ineffectual, says Last, it's probably a good thing that Senator Palpatine is given the "emergency powers" to become dictator, thus making it possible for the now-Empire to maintain law and order.

Last inadvertently makes the case for secession when he writes "The Republic, of course, is eager to quash these separatists, but they never make a compelling case--or any case, for that matter--as to why, if they are such a freedom-loving regime, these planets should not be allowed to check out of the Republic and take control of their own destinies." One doubts, however, that Last has come around to the pro-Confederacy viewpoint.

"Palpatine," writes Last, "believes that the political order must be manipulated to produce peace and stability. When he mutters, 'There is no civility, there is only politics,' we see that at heart, he's an esoteric Straussian." This, in Last's mind, is a good thing. In fact, he says that Palpatine becomes a "relatively benign" dictator, "like Pinochet." "It's a dictatorship people can do business with," adds this supposed conservative.

Writes Last: "But the most compelling evidence that the Empire isn't evil comes in 'The Empire Strikes Back' when Darth Vader is battling Luke Skywalker. After an exhausting fight, Vader is poised to finish Luke off, but he stays his hand. He tries to convert Luke to the Dark Side with this simple plea: 'There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you. . . . Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy.' It is here we find the real controlling impulse for the Dark Side and the Empire. The Empire doesn't want slaves or destruction or 'evil.' It wants order."

Last argues that the Empire's murder of Luke Skywalker's aunt and uncle and the destruction of the planet Alderaan are "less brutal than they initially appear" when "viewed in context." In short, Last says that since all of those involved were rebelling against the "order" of the Empire, they got what they deserved. In Last's words, Luke's aunt and uncle "are traitors."

Finally, Last notes that the rebels are "an unimpressive crew of anarchic royals who wreck the galaxy so that Princess Leia can have her tiara back."

His conclusion: "I'll take the Empire."

And there you have it. A neocon admits his love of brutal empire as opposed to peaceful freedom, and does so brazenly and unabashedly. This ought to tell you everything you need to know about the evilness of the neocons and their plans for our future. They do indeed have good reason to worry that some of the lines in the latest Star Wars flick have some anti-Bush undertones. We wouldn't want people to associate the neocons' beloved American empire under George W. Bush with George Lucas's hated galactic Empire under Darth Vader and the Emperor, after all.