He devoted much of his talk to the topic of peace — in Afghanistan or elsewhere. “Overriding it all is the quest for peace in the world,” he said. “We are bent on accidental or intentional nuclear annihilation, and I’m firmly supporting Congressman (Dennis) Kucinich’s measure that would make a Department of Peace in the United States Federal Government.”

Conyers is one of 72 U.S. Representatives to co-sponsor the latest effort by Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat who ran against President Obama in the 2009 primary, to establish the cabinet-level peace department. After publicly butting heads with Obama last year over troop escalations, Conyers said there “probably isn’t anybody above the fifth grade who doesn’t know you cannot win a war in Afghanistan.”