In the months leading up to last year's election, corruption and scandal rose to the top of voters' concerns and set the stage for the Democratic takeover of Congress. The culture of the Capitol left the public disgusted and reminded that lawmakers had failed on immigration, failed on Iraq and failed to police themselves.

The 2008 presidential election may be political light years away, but it's quite possible the exit polling from that race will show that health care has emerged as an issue befitting, "It's the economy, stupid." It's the issue that cuts across party and class and raises as many concerns among unions as military veterans.

By the time Nevada holds its presidential caucus in January, it's possible that Iraq will go the way of the Yucca Mountain Project -- important, but not important enough to sway an election.

On Saturday, the major Democratic presidential candidates were in Las Vegas to talk about health care at a forum sponsored by the Service Employees International Union and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Hillary Clinton, still smarting from her own highly visible failure to enact universal health care back in the 1990s, when her husband was in the White House, said if Americans want health care reform, they'll have to pressure Congress. "We need a movement," Clinton said at the forum. "We need people to make this the number one voting issue of the '08 election."

After holding a health care forum last month at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers hall, former Sen. John Edwards told reporters he believed such a movement was on the verge of erupting.

Edwards thinks he scores points with audiences with his frank discussion of how he intends to pay for his universal health care plan. Raising taxes -- or as he says, revoking the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans -- is not an unpopular idea in a Democratic primary.

But it's a risky proposition the other candidates aren't exactly willing to bet on.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, for example, does not think taxes need to be raised to increase coverage. He's known for rebating taxes, not raising them.

"This is a plan that would not add bureaucracy," he said. "This is a plan that could be paid for without any new taxes."

He said he would end the war in Iraq and shift money to health care.

Clinton, who likes to say she's "in it to win," is apparently also "in it to win twice." Her plan would require voters to elect her to a second term.

Edwards has the advantage of a specific proposal with a specific cost. That his popular wife, Elizabeth, suffers from cancer will serve only to make his the pre-eminent health care campaign. Katie Couric of CBS News didn't jet to Las Vegas to cover the forum. She was here to snag a broadcast interview with the couple for "60 Minutes."

Edwards got the biggest national audience from his trip to Nevada. And it didn't hurt him to have Elizabeth nearby.

"One of the reasons that I want to be president of the United States is to make sure that every woman and every person in America gets the same things that we have," Edwards said, referring to his wife's cancer care.

The other so-called top tier candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, once again blew an opportunity at a Nevada candidate forum.

In February, as a no-show to the first-in-the-nation forum in Carson City, he was upstaged by Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut. Dodd had him again Saturday, discussing his young family's frequent health care issues.

"My house is a Petri dish," Dodd said. "One of my children has strep throat and another has some kind of adenoidal infection."

There can be too much information and not enough. When, exactly, is Obama going to present anything other than the tried-and-true stump speech? On Saturday, his excuse was that his campaign is only eight weeks old.

"I will do whatever it takes," he said, offering no elaboration on whatever that might be.

The also-rans, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel, each proposed a single-payer system.

Edwards wants to have it both ways on health care. His universal program would let consumers choose from options, including a single-payer plan.

Health care may just be the issue that awakens voters. The 60,000-member Culinary union wants to keep its unprecedented 100 percent employer-paid health benefits. Seniors want lower drug prices. Veterans want access to care and help cutting the red tape.

Private-sector employees have watched benefits go down while their out-of-pocket expenses have gone up. Doctors decry low reimbursements from insurers, Medicare and Medicaid and call for tort reform.

And these are all the lucky ones. One-fifth of Nevada's population has no health insurance to begin with.

Health care won't be the sleeping issue of this presidential campaign for much longer.

Erin Neff's column runs Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached at (702) 387-2906, or by e-mail at eneff@reviewjournal.com.