Another issue that divides Democrats: Why is the violence going down in Iraq? They’re no longer arguing that it is going down, but why. Rep. David “idiot liberals” Obey thinks it’s because the various factions over there have run out of people to kill. Rep. Steny Hoyer thinks the violence is abating because of the surge.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said on Tuesday that the troop surge, which began in June, has had a significant impact on the situation in Iraq and noted that he had always been critical of the Bush administration for deploying an insufficient number of troops in previous years.

“Stability and a decrease in violence, they’ve done that – God bless them. I’m not surprised that they did,” Hoyer told Cybercast News Service in response to a question about steadily declining U.S. casualty rates in Iraq.

Here’s audio of Hoyer’s remarks. Other liberals like Sen. Pat Leahy prefer to emphasize the negative (that’s how liberals gain and keep power, by convincing enough voters that liberals are needed) by touting the fact that 2007 has been the bloodiest year yet for US troops in Iraq. Which is true. But. The trend line of that violence is crucial.

We’re not out of the woods in Iraq by any means, but when the Democrats’ majority leader in the House acknowledges that the current strategy is working, it’s worth mentioning.