Raw Story: "Shamnesty? McCain suffers right wing backlash over immigration flip-flop"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Since running into problems with grassroots conservatives over his support last year for an immigration bill that would have offered citizenship to illegal immigrants, Republican presidential candidate John McCain has steadily maintained that he would deal with border security before taking up larger immigration issues.

Now a statement by McCain to a group of business leaders concerned about obtaining visas for foreign workers, which suggests he has reversed his position yet again, is leading to rumbles of discontent within the conservative base.

McCain told the business roundtable on Thursday, "Senator Kennedy and I tried very hard to get immigration reform, a comprehensive plan, through the Congress of the United States. ... Because of our failure as a federal obligation, we’re seeing all these various conflicts and problems. ... We must enact comprehensive immigration reform. We must make it a top agenda item."

McCain's statement immediately led to a blast from right-wing blogger John Hawkins. "John McCain is a liar," Hawkins wrote in an entry that quickly became the subject of widespread discussion on the right. "He's a man without honor, without integrity, who could not have captured the Republican nomination had he run on making comprehensive immigration a top priority of his administration."

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/McCain_suffers_right_wing_backlash_over_0523.html

[Old and In the Way]

1. McCain can't win.

He'll lose tacking to the left, but he'll lose bigger tacking to the right. How much do you want to lose by John?

[blondeatlast]

2. DUer Bluebear said it best: Weathervane McCain. It's been that way for 30 years. nt

[Supersedeas]

3. the Free Ride Media will bury this in hopes of electing a TV defined hero personality