Inside Minnesota Politics

Say it ain't so Joe.All those U.S. soldiers who died in Vietnam, died in vain.So says Joe Repya, the man who wanted to be Minnesota's Republican Party Chair and in the past has tried to quiet any questioning of the occupation in Iraq by questioning the questioners' patriotism.Thursday on WCCO's Don Shelby show, Repya said:"I want to see victory for the Iraqi people. I want to see a safe nation. Because there's 4,000 of my brothers and sisters who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. And I don't want to see them die in vain , much like the 58,000 that served with me in Vietnam died in vain." Listen hereReally? Giving your life for your country is dying in vain?For the moment, let's take Joe at his word and accept that in his mind, this is true.That means his argument for staying in Iraq is somehow tied to avenging the deaths of US soldiers in Iraq and Vietnam.Joe, I can understand your anger over having lost friends in that war. But your anger clouds your logic. Those who ignore the lessons of history are