Does the Republican party deserve to be saved?

Thanks to John-Paul Pagano for ensuring I didn’t miss this while on hiatus. In an illuminating passage National Review’s Kathryn-Jean Lopez reveals the reasons why John McCain cannot be considered a conservative:

I’m second to none in praising him on his surge leadership. But on a whole host of issues — including water boarding, tax cuts, and the freedom of speech — he’s not one of us. Rush Limbaugh has emphatically stated that McCain is not a conservative — and he has more than a few listeners with similar instincts.

John McCain, of course, opposes water-boarding, taking the old-fashioned view that the United States should not be subjecting prisoners to the kinds of torture favoured by the Khmer Rouge. For this heresy he must be cast out of the conservative movement.

What’s wrong with these people?