US Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, originally uploaded by catastrophy.

Freshman Rep. Nancy Boyda (D.-Kan.), one of the GOP’s top targets in 2008, couldn’t stomach hearing about progress in Iraq during House Armed Services Committee testimony last month. Frustrated and agitated by the remarks of retired Gen. Jack Keane, Boyda walked out of the hearing room only to return 10 minutes later to ridicule the architect of the surge strategy.

Judging from Boyda’s behavior at last month’s hearing, she just might blow a gasket today if she reads the article in USA Today about the 50% decline in major attacks since the troop surge strategy began. (Linked by Pejman Yousefzadeh at RedState earlier this afternoon.)

The number of truck bombs and other large al-Qaeda-style attacks in Iraq have declined nearly 50% since the United States started increasing troop levels in Iraq about six months ago, according to the U.S. military command in Iraq.

The high-profile attacks ‚Äî generally large bombs hitting markets, mosques or other “soft” targets that produce mass casualties ‚Äî have dropped to about 70 in July from a high during the past year of about 130 in March, according to the Multi-National Force ‚Äî Iraq.

Military officers say the decline reflects progress in damaging al-Qaeda’s networks in Iraq. The military has launched offensives around Baghdad aimed at al-Qaeda sanctuaries and bases.

Keane, the man Boyda berated in July, is quoted in the article, saying that U.S. forces have gained momentum from the enemy. Yet don’t expect Boyda to acknowledge the progress. Her spokeswoman said last month after the fiasco that she’s “frustrated with how the administration is handling the war.”

I suspect the real reason you won’t hear Democrats acknowledge progress in Iraq is that any good news is bad news for them. Their political success at home depends on failure in Iraq. That’s why Boyda didn’t want to hear about it in July and why she probably won’t acknowledge it now.