When the U.S. Congress held its first prime-time hearing into the Jan. 6 insurrection last week, I watched, mainly as a penance for skipping all the presidential debates. Generally, whenever I tune into these things, I feel a bit like I imagine the parent of a gymnast must feel, watching their child perform. I’d be whispering “Don’t slip, don’t fall, don’t hurt yourself” over and over to myself—except with politicians, I’m whispering “Don’t slip, don’t fall, don’t hurt US” over and over again.

In this case, I was pleasantly surprised.  House Select Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson from Mississippi opened with a story about how — even in the middle of the Civil War when President Abraham Lincoln feared he would lose re-election to a man who would surrender rather than continue to the fight to preserve the union— even then Lincoln wrote a promise to hand power over to his opponent if that’s who won, and made his cabinet officials endorse the note. If anyone ever had a good excuse not to relinquish power, Lincoln had it — and did not use it.

Thompson then explained it was the Civil War that caused a change to the oath of office for members of Congress, the military, and government employees. The Presidential Oath was not changed because it comes verbatim from the Constitution — “to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” — but everyone else from the vice president on down now also swears to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

It bears repeating — ALL enemies, foreign and domestic.

This is what every member of Congress has sworn to do. This point was hammered home by the committee co-chair, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney:

“In our country, we don’t swear an oath to an individual or a political party. We take our oath to defend the United States Constitution, and that oath must mean something. Tonight, I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible. There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.”

Rep. Cheney’s simple words will remain, through the ages, as well.

She was so solid, so matter-of-fact, so unwavering. She didn’t show any signs of anger; you just got the unmistakable message that if this were your school principal, boy oh boy, were you in trouble.

Against my will, I was impressed. I wish I knew how she does it. Must you have a father who many of us put in the same class as Darth Vader to have that kind of strength?

Liz Cheney was steadfast. (Why can’t more Democrats manage that?) It made me think that whenever we finally get a woman president, it will probably have to be a Republican woman. It might even be this woman.

Cheney had one last message that stuck with me: “To defend this peaceful transfer of power has been honored by every American president. Except one.”

Donnie Trump? Boy oh boy, are you in trouble!

There is one other person whose praises I find I must sing, today: Vice President Mike Pence.

I can’t imagine the pressure that Pence was under to throw the final vote certification on Jan. 6 to Trump. The more we find out about Trump’s behavior in those final weeks, the more duress we learn Pence was under. Yet he held firm! Four years of showing less spine than a rubber Gumby doll — yet he refused the one thing Trump was vociferously demanding.

No wonder Trump wanted him hanged.

But it’s a good thing Pence did refuse because if he had given in and named Trump the next president instead of Biden, it would have meant nothing less than the end of the United States of America.

1776 to 2021: 245 years. We had a good run, but it would have been over. And there’s no knowing what would have followed next.

Something else. Something worse. Because I don’t see Trump’s QAnon followers keeping much of the Bill of Rights, do you? The Second Amendment, of course, and maybe the Fifth. But the 13th, 14th, and 15th? What do you think?

So, like him or not, I have to hand it to Mike Pence for saving the Republic at its moment of maximum danger. So far.

But, as Trump said to the Proud Boys in one of those debates I didn’t watch: “Stand back, and stand by.” Because there is more — alas — to come.