In restrospect, it's easy for us to sit on our butts and call it "playing politics". But for many of them, it was literally a matter of life or death. Going to college or fleeing to Canada were their only options (unless you shot your toe off). Makes red states/blue states seem kinda lame, huh?

If you don't want to be a soldier, that isn't playing politics. But as you said, that wasn't the position of most protestors.

If you say the war is immoral, illegal, or unwinnable, that is getting involved politics.