As Marie said, I think the Peace and Love thing has become a habit to him. But there's no doubt that he means it. Everyone always thinks of George as the peace and love man because of his spiritual side, but it's Ringo that's carried the torch all these years. And if the rest of The Beatles 'estate' thought it was embarrassing they wouldn't have all done the same thing at the anniversary photoshoot.
It's non Beatles fans, and non musicians that don't rate Ringo. I've known quite a few drummers in my time, and every one, to a man, rates Ringo as a drummer. Even the non Beatles fans amongst them.