In May 2003, a week after President Bush had declared victory in Iraq from the foredeck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, I made my first visit to Washington carrying the embossed green diplomatic passport of an Australian official. Our embassy had meticulously planned out a week’s agenda of meetings. Just before I left Canberra, they had emailed to say I had one lunch-time free – was there anyone else I’d like to meet with?

“I’d like to talk to a genuine neo-conservative,” I wrote back, and they found me one.