You'll notice that immigration is suddenly the talk of the town for conservatives after their latest defeat at the hands of us and President Obama. Fox News and AM talk radio has helped build a monolithic, fire-breathing xenophobic conservative base of immigration fanatics and showered the Minuteman apparatus with champagne every step of their existence. But many GOPers who have been frightened into joining the xenophobes are now making the case for a more rational approach to the situation. One of the surprising members of this newfound compassion is Sean Hannity.

LA Times:

Radio and television hotspur Sean Hannity — who for years has spit the word “amnesty” like an epithet — declared Thursday that he has “evolved” and now supports creating a “pathway” to citizenship for those already in the country illegally. “It’s simple to me to fix it,” Hannity said. “I think you control the border first. You create a pathway for those people that are here — you don’t say you’ve got to go home. And that is a position that I’ve evolved on. “Because, you know what, it’s got to be resolved. The majority of people here, if some people have criminal records you can send them home; but if people are here, law-abiding, participating for years, their kids are born here, you know, first secure the border, pathway to citizenship, done.”

Wow, I guess he really does admire Mitt Romney, because he flopped as soon as the exit polls were released. John Boehner flipped as well while he talked to Diane Sawyer.

House Speaker John Boehner became the latest to do so on Thursday, telling ABC’s Diane Sawyer that “I think what Republicans need to learn is – how do we speak to all Americans? You know, not just to people who look like us and act like us, but how do we speak to all Americans?” Boehner then made news by expressing his desire to reach a bipartisan deal for comprehensive immigration.“[W]hile I believe it’s important for us to secure our borders and to enforce our laws,” he said, “I think a comprehensive approach is long overdue, and I’m confident that the president, myself, others, can find the common ground to take care of this issue once and for all.

If the House votes any path to citizenship, which the wingnuts promptly label "amnesty," there will be numerous Republican tea-party primaries in 2014 to incumbents for sure, because they will feel the establishment folks like Charles Krauthammer are selling them out.

Here's Dr. Strangehammer proposing security and "amnesty":

The only part of this that is even partially true regards Hispanics. They should be a natural Republican constituency: striving immigrant community, religious, Catholic, family-oriented and socially conservative (on abortion, for example). The principal reason they go Democratic is the issue of illegal immigrants. In securing the Republican nomination, Mitt Romneymade the strategic error of (unnecessarily) going to the right of Rick Perry. Romney could never successfully tack back. For the party in general, however, the problem is hardly structural. It requires but a single policy change: Border fence plus amnesty. Yes, amnesty. Use the word. Shock and awe — full legal normalization (just short of citizenship) in return for full border enforcement.I’ve always been of the “enforcement first” school, with the subsequent promise of legalization. I still think it’s the better policy. But many Hispanics fear that there will be nothing beyond enforcement. So, promise amnesty right up front. Secure the border with guaranteed legalization to follow on the day the four border-state governors affirm that illegal immigration has slowed to a trickle.

Usually Hannity takes his cues from Limbaugh, but so far he has bucked Grand Master Rush. Limbaugh has not folded his cards on xenophbia just yet, and has been being quite the jackass doing so. Limbaugh Plays "Feliz Navidad" To "Reach Out To The Hispanic Community"

Discussing Latino Vote, Limbaugh Refers To The Demographic As "Illegal Immigra -- Hispanics, Even Legals"

Limbaugh Asks If GOP Should "Embrace Amnesty" In Order To Win Minority Votes That Obama Won

Limbaugh On Election Day: "I Could Be Proven Tonight To Be So Wrong" That "Nobody Should Be Listening To Me"