(1) Michael Lind's partial whitewash of neoconservatives published in a neoconservative magazine (23 FEb 2004 issue of The Nation) is not exactly a good article
(2) your brief note on the subject a year ago does not (unfortunately) show a good understanding of the subject.
(3) Neocons became a household word approx. one year ago when a number of broadsheets in the States (I have 3 articles in my archives "uncovered the conspiracy" and named the names, all within 1-2 weeks.
The discovery that what I had perceived as a very abrupt political change came as a result of a Movement with its own Teacher, Doctrine, and the history of Clandestine Clan's crawl to power was unexpected enough for me to buy Leo Strauss' treatises and study them.
(4) Yes, he does seem every way as bad as was announced. 100% traditional in his approach, his is the story of another Jew of orthodox upbringing attempting to formulate The Theory of how Jews will gain power and defend themselves forever from prosecution. He coached his teachings in dense wording in mediaevally styled texts which would look perfectly in place 500 or 600 years ago. Yes, Maimonides, persecution, hiding Teachings in intentinally boring texts on the border of meaningless that would be undesipherable to an outsider; philosophy as a teaching on Power; reliance on oral tradition; positioning of self as a member of a narrow elite (which were to be called "philosophers" after Plato), and total disdain of the rest of the population, which is to be kept indocrinated with a religion (any religion), lied to as a matter of principle, manipulated into obedience with the fogey of external threat etc. etc. etc.
My general feeling was that the man (who did not think of himself as a practitioner of Judaism) believed he uncovered the Real Hidden Ultimate Truth of the esoteric Jewish teachings, in a way above Judaism as a religion known to the whole population.
Well, he and Bloom, his first-generation pupil and successor at the University of Chicago graduated over 100 PhDs, which are now active in politics and education. Bush administration is the first in which the clique actually runs the show.

Reading Leo Strauss philosophising, intentionally dense, midrash-inspired ramblings that have nothing to do with the study of old philosophers, the discipline he ostensibly taught, is both boring and exhilarating, and makes one realize how inhuman the neocon secret indocrination actually was and continues to be.

Unfortunately, your notes fall far short of giving it justice.