She may well have meant it in that exact vein. I hope (and pray) you're right. She was a bit ambiguous with her, "not total amnesty" line. This is why I believe more clarification is needed.
“Just by coincidence, Senator Teddy Kennedy and I, in the last couple of days, after several months of negotiations, have reached an agreement for an immigration proposal that we will be putting out next week, … our proposal is along the lines of make them pay a fine of a couple thousand dollars, make them work for three years, and after three years they can get in the back of the line for a green card and then eventually become citizens.”
–John McCain on Immigration
"Amnesty is forgiveness," McCain, R-Ariz., told "Good Morning America." "This is payment of a fine. This is admission of guilt. … This is earned citizenship, that's what it is."