People change. Didn't you see that YouTube video of Barr on shrooms signing Amazing Grace and sobbing frantically?
People can change, but people can also stay the same. I'm not willing to give some career bureaucrat the benefit of the doubt just because he claims to be all libertarian and stuff now.
And the LP nominee, for better or worse, is the public face of libertarianism that the rest of the country sees. If Barr is still a statist on such a basic issue as ending the War on Drugs, he has no place within 500 feet of the LP, much less as its primary spokesperson.
Dude he said he's a Federalist on it, like Paul is on abortion
"Leave it to the states" is the biggest cop-out in the motherfucking world. I'm not happy about Ron Paul's usage of it, but it's not as despicable as Barr using it, since abortion is something that libertarians can disagree on and still be principled - it boils down to a metaphysical argument, rather than a political one.
The War on Drugs, on the other hand, is completely cut-and-dried. It's the quintessential victimless crime in today's society. The fact that Barr still supports it shows that he does not grok the non-agression principle, and is not truly a libertarian.
BARR: No, I would not vote to legalize heroin and crack, Sean.
Bob Barr supports the initiation of force to achieve political and social goals. He either lied or completely misunderstood when he signed the LP Statement of Intent. He is not a libertarian, so he should not be chosen to represent libertarianism to others.