Oath and Honor. Read it.
Whatever your political persuasion — and particularly if you are a Republican — give it a read.
Mostly, it’s a day-by-day summary of what went on in the period leading up to, during, and following the January 6th, 2021 rioting at the Capitol.
To a large degree, it’s just a well-written recitation of the facts. Calls that occurred, memos that were circulated. Who said what, when. With some patriotic appeals thrown into the mix, leavened with some general Republicanism.
If you, like me, paid attention to the January 6th Committee hearings, or have perused their final report, you won’t find a lot of surprises. If nothing else, this book was a lot more concise and readable than the final report from that Committee.
It sounds dry as dust. But it’s the opposite. I couldn’t put it down. I picked up a copy yesterday, finished it today.
In part, that’s because Cheney was Chair of the House Republican Conference at the time of the attack, and so was the number three person in House Republican leadership. She gives fresh details about what was going on inside the House Republican Conference and within the Republican hierarchy, as Trump attempted to prevent the orderly transfer of power in the U.S.
Spoiler alert: Republican leadership in general does not come off looking good.
But also, in part, it’s because Cheney is an excellent writer with a fine no-nonsense style. If it’s a lie, she’ll call it a lie, and call the person who said it a liar. Where she encounters disinformation and propaganda, those are the very words she uses to describe it.
But mostly, I think that she has nothing but contempt for people who do not respect the Constitution. And she’s not at all shy about calling them out on that. Things like elections, the rule of law, separation of powers, and the peaceful transfer of power matter deeply to her.
The patriotism and the writing are both refreshing and occasionally hilarious. Even if I pretty much completely disagree with everything else she stands for.
Really, it’s a great read. It’s worth it just for the anecdotes about Pelosi.
Not only is it currently the #1 selling book on Amazon, but Amazon is sold out. I had to trudge to my local bricks-and-mortar Barnes and Noble for my copy.
Note: Source for the Uncle Sam image is: James Montgomery Flagg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In related news
This book came out on December 5th, and the next day former speaker McCarthy announced his retirement from the House. After reading this book, I wonder about the extent to which that’s cause-and-effect.
I don’t see how anybody could read this book — just reading the plain facts of what McCarthy said and did in response to Trump’s numerous attempt to disrupt the counting of the electoral votes, and so prevent the peaceful transfer of power — and ever have any dealings with him again.
In particular, don’t miss the part where she calls McCarthy “a pussy”. But does it civilly and indirectly by agreeing with Trump, on that one point (page 174). And goes on to explain why McCarthy so quickly caved to Trump after January 6th. His dereliction of duty was, ultimately, all about the money (page 148).
Looking forward
Substantively, looking forward, I saw just two big takeaways from this book.
First, Congress fixed the ambiguities in the law governing the count of electoral votes. In a two-page chapter titled “Never Again”, Cheney notes that the Congress rewrote the 1877 Electoral Count Act.
This was in response to three of Trump’s illegal schemes to remain in power:
- Having state legislatures override the popular vote.
- Presenting slates of fake Electoral College electors.
- Having the Vice President reject electoral votes and so determine who would be the next President.
Whereas constitutional scholars already agreed that those were illegal, they are now made explicitly illegal in black letter law. A succinct summary of what the Congress changed can be found on Senator Collins’ (R, Maine) website (reference, .pdf).
So, with any luck, never again will a sitting President attempt to overturn the outcome of an election by those means. As Trump did. In addition to organizing and sending a mob to disrupt the January 6th counting of the electoral votes. (And, of course, flatly asking state officials to commit vote fraud, as in telling the Georgia Secretary of State “find” another 11,780 votes for Trump, or risk criminal prosecution (reference).
Second, let me offer two quotes regarding a second Trump Presidency (emphasis mine):
"One thing was now unavoidably apparent to any objective observer: Donald Trump had demonstrated that he is unfit for any office." (page 361).
"... They are working to return to office the man responsible for January 6th. We the people must stop them. We are the only thing that can stop them. This is more important than partisan politics. Every one of us -- Republican, Democrat, Independent -- must work and vote together to ensure that Donald Trump and those who have appeased, enabled, and collaborated with him are defeated. This is the cause of our time." (page 368).
