HOTAIR-friendly Top priority overall or just top domestic priority? Iraq and the economy can wait, I guess. The clip comes, via reader Edgar M, from today’s appearance before NALEO, in which he and Obama took turns to see who could pander most cravenly on immigration.

Truth be told, there’s little new here: Lip service is duly paid to securing the border despite the questioner’s emphasis on comprehensive reform “and not just enforcement,” and he recycles his old line about illegals being “God’s children too” as a way of insinuating, a la his crony’s notorious remarks about telling “the bigots” to shut up, that one really can’t oppose amnesty and be a minimally decent human being. Par for the course.

It’s nice to know, though, that the very first 100 days of a McCain administration will be consumed with an internecine fight on the right to stop his next round of crap legislation from passing. Can’t wait. If you’re curious to see what Obama said in reply, here’s a recap from Reuters. To the left, of course (minus Mickey Kaus), McCain’s problem is that he isn’t a big enough amnesty shill. Exit quotation from Obama, demonstrating a charming obliviousness to the fact that he himself flip-flopped on nearly every issue he commented on this past week: “If we are going to solve the challenges we face, we can’t vacillate, we can’t shift depending on our politics.”

Link: sevenload.com

THEHILL-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton introduced former rival Sen. Barack Obama to her Hispanic supporters and fundraisers Thursday night, and he got an earful from a group that remains skeptical nearly a month after their Democratic primary battle ended.

“We were offering constructive criticism that will help him in the fall,” said Ingrid Duran, a Falls Church consultant who advised Clinton on Hispanic issues. “At the end of the day, we’ll support the nominee. The question is how actively.”

About 25 members of Clinton’s Hispanic Leadership Council and Hispanic Finance Council met with Obama at the Mayflower Hotel at the invitation of Clinton. Among those attending were Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.); and United Farmworkers of America co-founder Delores Huerta.

Hispanic votes have been key in recent presidential contests. George W. Bush won 35 percent of their votes in 2000, and 40 percent in 2004.

Some who attended the Thursday meeting said they had the impression from the Obama campaign that he doesn’t think he needs Hispanic votes because he’s assuming he’ll win heavily Hispanic states like California and New York. Obama told them that wasn’t true.

“He told the group he needed the Latino community to win,” said Duran, who served on the Clinton campaign’s Hispanic councils.

Those in attendance want to see more outreach to Hispanics, such as a campaign organization dedicated to Hispanic supporters. They also want to see an understanding that Hispanic issues extend beyond immigration, Duran said.

Duran said the meeting was positive, but she’s waiting to see if the campaign delivers on Obama’s promises.

“Time will tell,” she said. “I want to see what the follow through is going to be.”

The meeting came a day before Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Obama (D-Ill.) campaigned together in Unity, N.H. It came several hours after Obama met with a group of female legislators at Democratic National Headquarters.

Earlier in the day Thursday, Clinton had used her first major public speech since conceding the nomination to stump for Obama before the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).

Female Hispanic lawmakers who’d supported Clinton skipped a meeting earlier this month between Obama and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Shortly before the meeting Thursday, Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) made it clear that she’s not satisfied with Obama’s outreach to members of Congress or the 18 million people who voted for Clinton.

“My door is open,” Sanchez said in a brief interview. “If you don’t make time to meet with the 535 people who’s support you need, how are you going to win over 18 million people.”