Oath and Honor

Oath and Honor is a captivating retelling of the January 6th, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol by Donald Trump supporters. It contains well documented evidence based research about the events leading up to that fateful day, on the day itself, and in the aftermath and subsequent fallout. Cheney provides compelling evidence in the same vein as that which was relayed during the January 6th Committee to Investigate the Attack on the United States Capitol.

While I disagree wholeheartedly with many of Cheney's political positions, she and the rest of the bipartisan team did an incredible service to our country. Collectively they researched and organized mountains of information, interviewed and obtained testimony from almost exclusively Republican witnesses to avoid any suggestion of partisan lean in their reporting, and delivered concise, but thorough accounts of what actually happened.

No other piece of media I have seen aside from the Committee meetings themselves have better characterized the conspiracy led by Donald Trump, his election campaign members, and many individuals still today serving in the US House of Representatives. This book should be required reading for every American—especially given it is an election year, and an extraordinarily consequential one at that.

I am only giving four out of five stars due to Cheney's continued reliance on touting the virtues of prior Republican icons, namely Ronald Reagan. While I agree that Reagan sought to be a Constitutionalist, it is undeniable that so many of his economic and domestic policy positions have done tremendous harm to the United States. That being said, in spite of this fellation of Conservatism as a political ideology, Cheney does a tremendous job of highlighting how important this effort was to all Americans, regardless of their political alignment.

I think this paragraph sums up the work best: "Because America's democratic system has endured longer than any in history, it can be easy to take its survival for granted. Sometimes people would tell me that January 6 wasn't so bad, because, after all, our institutions had held. I would remind them that our institutions don't defend themselves. The institutions only held because of a handful of Americans who did their duty and refused to yield to Donald Trump's pressure. And because of the men and women in law enforcement who literally defended our democracy when it came under attack."

Thank you to the work Cheney and all other individuals who researched and delivered this information did for the American people.

Apart from a few over the top god, Reagan, and Constitution paeans, the book is straightforward and honest, like its author. I disagree with Liz Cheney on almost all issues except one: the need for the people of the United States to come together to defeat Donald Trump in 2024. Cheney states her case clearly, and many of the details of what was said and done on the House floor during the insurrection were new to me. She also writes a riveting narrative of the establishment and processes of the January 6 Committee. I was especially struck by the deep respect she shows for her colleagues on the Committee, regardless of their party affiliation.

If voting for Liz Cheney was the only way to make sure Trump wasn't re-elected, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Although she would oversee policies and legislation that I would detest, her integrity and belief in the rule of law are firm, and her book unequivocally demonstrates that.