Here are today’s headlines from the Kansas congressional delegation:Rep. Nancy Boyda (D) !(LJW) Boyda says soldiers in Iraq increasingly frustrated: American soldiers are getting frustrated and concerned for their families as President Bush increases troop levels in Baghdad, U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda said Tuesday after a weekend visit to Iraq. “They’re good, patriotic soldiers. But their message was, we are very concerned about our families and our families want to know what is going on,” Boyda, D-Topeka, said in a telephone news conference. While visiting Kansas soldiers in Iraq, Boyda said they received word that their service probably would be extended. House Democrats, who recently won control of Congress, are considering restrictions on how Bush can spend the $100 billion he wants for Iraq. Some have called for troop withdrawals while others are willing to grant Bush flexibility. Boyda said no consensus had been reached and she was listening to various arguments in that debate.(Topeka Capital-Journal) Boyda assesses Iraq following recent trip: She had little positive to report about how the mission was going or the outlook for the future. Noting the possible extension of some troops’ stay, Boyda said troops levels of those not deployed to Iraq were “dangerously, dangerously thin.” In addition, she said, the much-talked about troop surge will be well over 30,000 instead of the 20,000 previously thought. “We’re using the rest of our troop strength for an operation that nobody thinks will have a different outcome,” she said. Equipment needs also have been in the news lately, and Boyda said the surge is going to exacerbate the problem. “It appeared that the equipment that was there was now going to be stretched thinner, and again there was a fair amount of frustration,” she said.(Washington Post) President Cites ‘Encouraging Signs’ From New Iraq Plan: Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-Kan.), who returned from Iraq Monday night, said U.S. commanders were cautiously optimistic as they described efforts to protect marketplaces and allow life in Baghdad to regain a semblance of normalcy. The Baghdad morgue’s nightly body count had dropped to 10 from 100, but the officers, including Gen. David H. Petraeus, were not ready to draw conclusions, she said. “They were really downplaying expectations” and for good reason, Boyda said. A recent bombing in a Baghdad book market filled the morgue again and set back the commanders’ efforts to allow residents some measure of security.(Politico.com) GOP Sees Hope in Northeast Despite the 2006 Washout: Despite a Democratic sweep throughout the Northeast last cycle, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole is confident that Republicans can make a comeback there in 2008. Cole’s optimism belies the drubbing that Republicans suffered in the region last year. Cole cited Democratic Reps. Leonard L. Boswell of Iowa, Harry E. Mitchell of Arizona, Tim Mahoney of Florida, Nancy Boyda of Kansas and Jerry McNerney of California among the top targets for the NRCC. “There are a lot of these people that sit in these districts that normally perform Republican. Frankly, right now, a lot of them are making some bad votes. Their leadership is well to the left of the districts and it’s pulling them to the left,” Cole said.