It was only a matter of time ’til we got around to this argument, of course, though I’m surprised to hear it from a neoconservative. Though Matt’s explanation sounds about right:

Indeed, they think that this kind of in-depth knowledge is actually harmful. They prefer the judgment of people who have little knowledge of the outside world but do possess a degree of gut-level nationalism.

Since most Americans do possess a degree of gut-level nationalism and don’t possess much understanding of the world beyond our borders, it’s difficult politically to mount an argument against Kagan-style celebration of ignorance. But at the same time, the fact that a substantial swathe of the conservative policy elite thinks this way explains an enormous amount about why things have gone wrong in our foreign policy.

Ah, the gut. Because it’s governed us so well these past seven-plus years.