On Thursday I noted November was the least deadly month for U.S. troops since the war began. It was even lower than November 2003, a month before finding Saddam. Gateway Pundit points to some more promising statistics.

• Overall violence down by at least 50%
• Civilian casualties down by 60%
• Baghdad casualties down by 75%
• Basra violence down by 90%
• Terrorist attacks down by 80%
• IED attacks down by 55%
• Average daily attacks down by 42%
• Foreign insurgent flow into Iraq down by more than 50%
• Suicide bombings down 70%
• Foreign terrorist flow down by at least 50%
• Diala province violence down by 68%

Remembering this, what do Democrats do now? Iraq is not an ideal situation, but hearing its name no longer only gives negative sentiment.

The Los Angeles Times provides an answer:

WASHINGTON — – As voting fast approaches in a hotly competitive presidential primary campaign, the battle in the Democratic field has now focused intensively on healthcare and the question of how “universal” a coverage plan must be…

The debate marks a shift from only a few weeks ago when the Iraq war was the dominant point of contention among the top Democrats. With violence down in Iraq and Democratic campaigns eager to distinguish themselves before the all-important Jan. 3 caucuses in Iowa, healthcare is emerging as the party’s preferred topic.

Then there’s this from Politico:

Congressional Democrats are reporting a striking change in districts across the country: Voters are shifting their attention away from the Iraq war.

Rep. Jim Cooper, a moderate Democrat from Tennessee, said not a single constituent has asked about the war during his nearly two-week long Thanksgiving recess. Rep. Michael E. Capuano, an anti-war Democrat from Massachusetts, said only three of 64 callers on a town hall teleconference asked about Iraq, a reflection that the war may be losing power as a hot-button issue in his strongly Democratic district.

First-term Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-Kan.) — echoing a view shared by many of her colleagues — said illegal immigration and economic unease have trumped the Iraq war as the top-ranking concerns of her constituents.

So, who does the health care shift benefit? Glenn Reynolds:

All of this advantages Hillary — more pro-war (despite her waffling) and more healthcare-oriented than either Richardson or Obama. Oh, and there’s Edwards, I guess.

I have a feeling it’ll benefit Hillary most.