(CNSNews.com) - Harsh criticism of GOP presidential contender John McCain from some conservative leaders is fading as McCain, now the frontrunner, looks to solidify the nomination of his party.

Grover Norquist, president and founder of Americans for Tax Reform, for example, criticized McCain in an interview with Cybercast News Service in January. "If the rest of Congress had voted the way Senator McCain did over the years, your taxes would be a trillion dollars higher than they are today," he said.

But on Saturday, in another interview with Cybercast News Service, Norquist seemed ready to put the past away and support the frontrunner, apparently in light of McCain's recent statements that he is now a hard-line anti-taxer. "McCain has staked a good tax position," said Norquist. "He has said twice he will veto a tax increase. I will support the Republican nominee."

McCain made a case for himself as a conservative at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) on Friday.

"I have argued to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, to reduce the corporate tax rate, and abolish the AMT," McCain said. "I will not sign a bill with earmarks in it. I will fight for the line-item veto, and I will not permit any expansion whatsoever of the entitlement programs that are bankrupting us."

Norquist went on to tell Cybercast News Service that he thinks McCain is sincere about his conservatism. He speculated McCain's initial opposition to the Bush tax cuts was due to a personal feud with the Bush administration.

"After 2004, Sen. McCain endorsed continuing the tax cuts," said Norquist. "He says now it's good for the economy. The question is whether he was voting against Bush or the tax cuts. With Bush in the rearview mirror, it's my hope he is returning to his Reaganite tax positions."

Calling McCain "a liaison in the Reagan movement," Morton Blackwell, president and founder of the conservative Leadership Institute, said he too is willing to stand behind McCain if he is nominated. "He was not my first choice, but it is my practice that I always will support the Republican nominee," said Blackwell.

Blackwell had previously endorsed Fred Thompson and then Mitt Romney, both of whom have dropped out of the campaign race. Romney dropped out on Friday. "Romney is the only candidate who can bring conservative change to Washington now," said Blackwell in his earlier endorsement.

And back in December, when Thompson still seemed politically viable, Blackwell called him the "candidate with the most conservative instincts on the public policy issues that are important to America."

Despite his opposition to the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law and the McCain-Kennedy immigration bill, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich noted his support for McCain in an exclusive interview with Cybercast News Service on Saturday.

Although McCain is a moderate conservative rather than a movement conservative, Republicans should support him, said Gingrich, who added, "If Sen. McCain becomes the Republican nominee, we should support him if for no other reason than for Supreme Court nominations."

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) called on conservatives to stand behind McCain just hours after Romney suspended his campaign.

"The sentiments you made from this podium, Sen. McCain, were a welcome start," said Pence. "Let us help this soldier unite this army and do everything in our power to see him to the presidency. We have heard Sen. McCain's words now."

Pence told Cybercast News Service he believes in McCain's sincerity but "now that we have heard his words, we need to see his actions."

The CPAC crowd listening to Pence did not seem convinced of McCain's conservatism. The first time Pence mentioned McCain a chorus of "boos" echoed through the auditorium. At one point during Pence's speech someone shouted, "Pence for President." The crowd responded with cheers.

A few other well-known conservatives, however, are maintaining their opposition to McCain. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), who is still running for the GOP nomination, said of McCain on Friday, "This candidate's best friends' names are Kennedy and Feingold."

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter is also critical. She said she would vote for McCain only if he chose Mitt Romney as his vice president. She then quipped, "I have led one impeachment. I can lead another."

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