In these last tense days of the push for health-care reform, an interesting sub-story is developing: the cloud over the Obama administration seems to be lifting.

Certainly it will be a blow if Democratic leaders can't get the bill passed, but I've been fascinated with the debate among moderate and liberal Democrats - and with liberals' growing realization that compromise is crucial if the Obama administration is going to get anything done, on anything.

For liberals, parts of the reform bill are tough to take. I hate the restrictions on abortion coverage. And it's obvious that what the country needs is universal, single-payer health care. But there aren't nearly enough votes to get that. We can pout all we want, but that won't accomplish a darned thing. If Democrats can get this modest bill passed, they'll have taken a big step in the right direction.

So it has been good to see groups like the Hispanic caucus, the AFL-CIO, the Working Families Party, and MoveOn embrace the bill. (And a big hallelujah to the Catholic nuns and hospitals who are urging the bill's passage.)

In the end, I think the lengthy debate on health care may have an additional silver lining for Obama and the Democrats in Congress:

Republicans hope that voters' concern about the health-care bill will give them control of Congress in the November election. But November's more than eight months away. My hunch is that if health-care reform becomes a reality, Americans will start to relax as they learn more about it.

At that point, Republicans will have to find other things to be mad about. And it's more than remotely possible that during those eight months, voters will grow really tired of the anger, the obstruction, and the charges of socialism.