In more than 50 years in Congress, House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell has seen it all in health care. He can even remember when President Truman tried to get the job done. But Dingell doesn't just look back—here's some of what the self-described "stubborn and optimistic" Michigan Democrat told a Washington policy center about the convergence of interests that make the future of health reform look a little brighter.

"I am starting to see light at the end of this dark road I've been traveling," said Dingell. The spiraling cost of health care, he said, has caught the attention of people and groups who used to oppose insuring everyone. Health reform, he said at an event yesterday at the Center for American Progress, used to be a moral issue. Now it's a moral and economic one, with a greater diversity of business and health industry leaders backing comprehensive reform. Because they need it.

Dingell reminded us that he introduces a universal health care bill at the start of every session, the bill his late father backed when he was representing Michigan in the House. He doesn't plan on stopping that family tradition. But that doesn't mean he is wedded to only one approach, or thinks that a single-payer system is politically likely at this time. In fact, he said, he believes it's possible to provide Americans with security and flexibility in a health system in which private insurance companies can participate. "When people say to me, 'Dingell, what should be our plan?' I find myself quoting Deng Xiaoping, who wisely noted, ‘I don't care if the cat is black or white so long as it catches mice.''"

"To those who say it's too costly, I ask, what's the alternative? How much will doing nothing cost?," said Dingell, who urged the next president to make health reform the No. 1 priority.

It's no surprise that a Democratic committee chairman speaking at a Democratic think tank would favor a Democrat in the White House, but Dingell said that if John McCain wins the election, he'd still try work with him. One mistake not to repeat from the 1990s—work with everyone to get the necessary level of support.

Asked if he would stick around until Congress finally enacts health reform, he gave a classic Dingell response. "I hope to get this done for my father, but I'll only stay as long as the Lord and my wife allow me to."