In a rather conciliatory speech last night, likely Republican nominee, John McCain reached out to the conservative base which has largely spurned him since the primaries began.

From Reuters:

"McCain, the 71-year-old former Vietnam prisoner of war, has become a target of critics on the right for his moderate views on illegal immigration, his votes against President Bush's tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 and his labeling in 2000 of some religious conservative leaders as 'agents of intolerance.'"

Politics makes strange bedfellows, because suddenly those agents of intolerance have become very important to John McCain. Now he is promising to embrace the Right in his bid for the Republican nomination.

"I am acutely aware that I cannot succeed in that endeavor," said McCain. "Nor can our party prevail over the challenge we will face from either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama without the support of dedicated conservatives, whose convictions, creativity, and energy have been indispensable to the success of our party … over the last quarter century."

In yet another attempt to cast himself as a Reagan conservative, McCain went on to quote the late former President and then added, "I am proud, very proud to have come to public office as a foot soldier in the Reagan revolution. And if a few of my positions have raised your concern that I have forgotten my political heritage, I want to assure you I have not and I am as proud of that association today as I was then."

He also trumpeted classical conservative ideals citing, "small government, fiscal discipline, low taxes, a strong defense, judges who inform and not make our laws, the social values that are the true source of our strength, and generally, the steadfast defense of our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which I have defended my entire career as God-given to the born and the unborn."

About halfway through the speech, McCain came to the issue of immigration. His mention of the topic brought a mixture of applause and boos from his audience. After the crowd calmed down, he promised that it would be among his highest priorities to secure America's borders before dealing with the illegals already in the country. Although, he was almost totally nebulous on the later point of dealing with those who are here illegally saying, "Only after we've achieved widespread consensus that our borders are secure, would we address other aspects of the problem in a way that defends the Rule of Law and does not encourage another wave of illegal immigration."

We shall see how this ambiguity plays out in light of McCain's push to ram amnesty for illegals down the gullet of conservative America. I haven't forgotten his partnership with Kennedy and Bush Jr. to change the Rule of Law in an effort to conform it to their "unique" vision of the country.

He failed to mention his Benedict Arnold routine in the Gang of 14 and a few other "highlights" of his career.

One of the big questions everyone is speculating about is who will he chose as his running mate? Provided he gets the nomination, look for him to take Huckabee as a largely symbolic gesture to help solidify the base. Ol' Huck has been rather cordial with McCain throughout the primaries. Apparently, the feeling is mutual. Huckabee turned out to be the perfect siphon for Romney who might have given McCain a run for his money otherwise. Anyway, it's all but academic now. It looks like we have our man and his name is John McCain.

From NumbersUSA: Today's polls show John McCain still poised to win a large majority of the delegates on Tuesday …

… unless the 500,000 of you can reach out to millions of Republican friends, families and acquaintances to correct their incredibly mistaken notion about McCain's immigration positions.

The Washington Post/ABC News poll this weekend asked likely Republican voters which candidate, "regardless of who you may support," do you "trust most to handle immigration issues."

The answer will shock you:

47% McCain
22% Romney
10% Huckabee
5% Paul

This political illiteracy among Republican voters threatens disastrous consequences. Please share this information widely.

Look at all of McCain's pro-amnesty votes here.

Click here to see all the times McCain has worked against American workers and helped greedy businesses procure foreign labor.

View McCain's whole abysmal history of failing to protect our national security at the borders and our economic security at the workplace.

Some open-borders apologists, such as syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette, say 47% of Republicans like McCain on immigration because they support McCain's idea that the best way to solve illegal immigration is to make nearly all the illegal aliens into legal residents and U.S. citizens.

That is pure wishful thinking on the part of open-borders advocates. Reputable polls for two years have shown that an overwhelming majority of Republicans (and a majority of Independents and Democrats) has opposed every one of McCain's attempts to legalize illegal aliens with an amnesty.

I believe that at least half of those 47% Republicans who express confidence in McCain's immigration plans simply don't know the truth.

And the truth is exceptionally easy to find out.

For two months, McCain answers every immigration question by saying he will "secure the border" and that "I know how to do it."

But records of his past actions show that he has repeatedly voted against funding the border fence, against funding more Border Patrol, against expanding interior immigration agents. About the only time McCain has backed more security on the border is when it is tied to giving an amnesty.

McCain has held border security hostage for years. He has been willing to work for border security only if Americans pay the "ransom" of giving him an amnesty.

But I am willing to accept that McCain is finally serious about securing the border, except that he really hasn't provided a serious, detailed plan for how he will do it.

Read McCain's statements in recent interviews to see how terribly the "straight-talker" zig zags to confuse voters about his ultimate plan to grant a gigantic amnesty.

McCain laid out his Immigration Plan in radio ads in South Carolina:
1. "Secure the borders."
2. Deport around 2 million illegal aliens who have committed felonies.
3. Treat the other 10-18 million illegal aliens with "compassion" by letting them keep their U.S. residency and their American jobs and eventually become citizens.

McCain never expresses compassion for the 23 million working-age Americans without any college who do not currently have a job — or the millions more Americans whose real wages have stagnated or declined in recent years because their occupations were flooded by foreign labor.

Although the nation already has nearly 40 million foreign workers and dependents, McCain has repeatedly said that we need to import even more. During the last two years, he has pushed various bills that would double and triple immigration.