Gov. Mike Huckabee, originally uploaded by Saint Anselm College.

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee held a conference call with bloggers at 10 a.m. and took questions about education, energy and immigration. I asked about immigration and whether Huckabee thought the Senate bill should be fixed or just killed.

Huckabee said he’s very much in favor of trying to work on it to make it better. “Instead of rejecting it wholesale, let’s be specific what we don’t like,” he said. He cited his concern that the bill would reward illegal aliens with legal status first, rather than making them work toward it.

On the touchy subject of John McCain, Huckabee danced around a question of how immigration was changing the dynamics of the race. McCain has dropped from second to fourth place in recent polls. Of his fellow Republican, Huckabee said, “He takes a position and he sticks with it. Even if his position is 180 degrees from mine, I respect him for that. At least he takes a stand and he sticks with it. He’s not a person who tailors his views to each audience.”

Following up on a point made by Duncan Hunter at last night’s debate, Huckabee said Sen. Teddy Kennedy’s (D.-Mass.) prominent role in the immigration deal is very troubling for many conservatives. While it may give comfort to liberals, it provokes a hostile reaction from the right.