It’s one of the safest bets in Washington: if Lanny Davis is speaking out on an issue, you can bet that he just cashed a check from someone. Today, Davis, the former Clinton Administration official and current lobbyist at McDermott, Will & Emery, writes in The Washington Times that “it’s time for liberals like me” to drop the public option from health care reform.

Without the public option, the votes are there, with at least some Republican support, to do what Democrats have been trying to do since Harry Truman and pass national health care legislation that would accomplish the two goals that have always been the Democratic Party’s priority for more than 60 years: First, virtually universal health insurance, including those who are too wealthy to qualify for Medicaid, but too poor to afford health insurance; and second, mandatory coverage for all — meaning insurance companies must insure everyone regardless of status, age, or pre-existing conditions. (Both go hand-and-hand, since insurance would not be affordable unless there is a broad mix of healthy younger people with less healthy older people in the customer mix.)

In short, the dream of progressive Democrats for a national health insurance system that guarantees that matters of life or death should not be a function of wealth can finally come true; but only, in my view, if liberal Democrats in Congress who support the public option put it aside now.

Davis goes on to chastise anyone who has attacked Joe Lieberman – a longtime friend and ally – for his position on health care, mimicking Lieberman’s exact words on Face the Nation this weekend by saying “It is too bad … some liberal critics cannot debate Mr. Lieberman’s position on the merits without attacking his motives or using scurrilous personal epithets.” He eventually comes around to favoring a fallback for the public option, essentially Olympia Snowe’s trigger.

Again, it’s just a fact of DC life that Lanny Davis typically opens his mouth after his pockets are filled by corporate cash. This is the guy who spoke out in favor of coup plotters in Honduras after being paid by wealthy anti-Zelaya interests down there. And it’s no different here. As I mentioned, Davis works for McDermott, Will & Emery now. A quick look at the lobbyist disclosure database shows a mass of health industry interests paying McDermott for lobbying services in 2009. Here are the health industry players on their roster of clients:

Allegiance Health, The American Dental Hygienists’ Association, American Specialty Health, Ball Memorial Hospital, Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, The Coalition For 21st Century Medicine, The Council Of Women’s and Infants’ Specialty Hospitals, Fresenius Medical Care North America, Genomic Health Inc., Health Management Associates Inc., The Hospital Geographic Fairness Coalition, Intermountain Healthcare, The Mayo Clinic, Nationshealth, Redpath Integrated Pathology, Roche Diagnostics Corporation, Rural Referral Center/Sole Community Hospital Coalition, Surgical Care Affiliates

It’s true that all of those clients might not work with Lanny Davis. But Davis hasn’t revealed exactly who his clients are, despite a pro-lobbyist editorial he wrote for The Huffington Post last year which included this line:

What is negative about lobbying is the absence of transparency — when the powerful and the wealthy have secret influence on members of Congress or the executive branch.

In secrecy, public officials — shock again — might be tempted to act contrary to their independent judgment or the public interest, but rather in return for campaign contributions and other favors. Such a quid pro quo, of course, is bribery and criminal.

So what is the answer? Total transparency. (That expression should be a redundancy, but some people say transparency and then don’t really mean it.)

Total transparency would be nice – especially as it concerns Lanny Davis.