Elf Sternberg

John Rogers at Kung Fu Monkey pretty much has the last word on the topic of 300's politics.

Basically, 300 is, just exactly as you say, 'a manly movie, about manly men doing the manliest of things'. Reading the movie, its parallels and politics are all over the map, largely because, one has to suppose, the director really didn't have an agenda beyond the glorification of hot hot greek guys stabbing things in slo-mo.