Sen. Sam Brownback at CPAC, originally uploaded by Rob Bluey.

About a year ago, I wrote that Sen. Sam Brownback had irreparably harmed his chances at the 2008 Republican nomination by supporting a comprehensive immigration reform measure supported by Sen. Teddy Kennedy. Brownback’s crime? He voted with Senators Arlen Specter (Pa.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Mike DeWine (Ohio) to send the bill out of the Judiciary Committee.

But could Brownback improve his chances by reversing course on immigration? It’s not a bad strategy, and one that Brownback appears to be considering. He stopped by Bloggers’ Row this afternoon to do a short one-on-one interview with me. My first question had to do with the upcoming immigration debate in the Senate featuring a McCain-Kennedy bill that’ll probably be worse than last year’s legislation.

Brownback told me he’s working on a Republican alternative with such conservative stalwarts as Senators John Cornyn (Tex.) and Jon Kyl (Ariz.). Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) is also in the mix, but Brownback assured me this legislation would be preferable to the bill that McCain will soon put forward. Having just made a trip to the border 10 days ago, Brownback said he has a real appreciation for the challenges America faces at the border.

The strategy is smart on two level. In terms of legislation, Republicans need an alternative. I’m sure I’ll prefer whatever Sen. Jeff Sessions introduces, but other conservatives might see the Brownback-Cornyn-Kyl-Specter tandem as as the most realistic alternative. On another level, he’s directly challenging McCain on an issue that’s likely to enrage the base.

Finally, I asked Brownback about his strong placement (fourth place) in the South Carolina straw poll. He attributed it to his pro-family and pro-life message. Brownback, in fact, called himself a “bleeding-heart conservative” who wanted to be known as the “family president.”