Before 2000, I didn't see him as a neocon, either. But he has been toeing the neocon line since 2000, and he's got neocons pretty high up on his staff.

McCain said in his autobiography that he didn't decide to run for president because he wanted to make a difference. He said he decided to run for president because one day he simply got the ambition to be president. If someone simply has an ambition to become president, and they're not doing it out of concern for the issues, getting the neocons to back them has proven in the past to be a very good way to get elected. In order to get the neocons to back you, it's necessary to help them implement their agenda.

The neocon agenda is global hegemony for the US and Israel.