Where Has the Anti-War Movement Gone?

I was recently having a discussion with a friend of mine; an ultra-liberal, Bush-hating guy who has always been fervently anti-war. I got to discussing with him the election, and whom he would be supporting. Of course, he knows I support Ron Paul, and for the many reasons why. He, as it turns out, is an Obama supporter.

I asked him, if the time the primary rolls around, if the Democratic race is sewn up, would he consider jumping over to the GOP and voting for Ron Paul. Ron Paul is, after all, the only anti-war candidate left in the field. All the rest are pro-war to whatever degree, and Obama, specifically, sounds an awful lot like Bush to me when I hear him talk about war and empire. Ron Paul, being an “arch-conservative Republican”, is a major turnoff to my friend, but I’m hoping I can appeal to his anti-war values to persuade him. So, I say:

Dude… I know Ron Paul has a lot of positions that you are really against. In fact, there are a few things about Paul’s platform that I don’t like either. But tell me something… Are all of those other issues worth allowing an unjust, immoral war to continue? Can you set aside those things for the moment, and help stop the killing? Is socialized medicine, changing the make up of the Supreme Court, and all that so important to you that you’d be willing to let tens of thousands of Iraqis suffer and die from our bombs and bullets and our torture chambers, so that you can advance your agenda?

His answer?

Yes, he is willing to let the war continue.