Sen. Clinton... Getting Tough on Immigration?

So, apparently, Sen. Clinton (D-NY) has decided to bolster her public image on immigration. In a conversation with a NY Daily News columnist, Hillary Rodham "Jesus Himself Would Be a Criminal" Clinton talked about how she would support a "smart fence" at the border to identify potential problems with immigrants. For those of you not keeping score, this is a provision in the notoriously tough-on-immigration bill by Reps. Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and King (R-NY) passed last year.

What's even more disturbing to some immigration activists, though, is that Clinton supports staggered reform, with legalization taking place "12 to 24 months" after the closing of the border. This would keep immigrants in legal limbo and endanger the legalization chances of many who are already in the U.S.

Does this mean that we're close to arriving at some compromise about immigration reform between the two houses as the elections approach? I hope it doesn't sacrifice the good of the country for political maneuvering, but, if Clinton's maneuver is any indication, I'm afraid it might.