Yesterday’s congressional testimony by Robert Mueller, the man who organized and managed the investigation into the White House’s potential ties to Russia, was a manufactured event designed for television. House Democrats hoped Mr. Mueller himself would “breathe life” into his eponymous report, which had been released in March and publicized in April. The goal, it seems, was to pull the country toward supporting President Trump’s impeachment.

The above paragraph serves as a reminder of the current condition of the United States House of Representatives. Our putative delegates, who wield our authority in a battle of arms against any and all executive oppressors, are reduced to asking for permission to charge a president many of them have characterized as the unholy spawn of Hitler, Pol Pot, Larry Flynt, and P.T. Barnum. If President Trump is such a man, they should not require permission. They should have filed articles of impeachment before the ink on his inaugural address was dry. Instead, they–at least the Democrats–hoped an old, lawyerly type, who has made his career by staying out of headlines, would “bring the juice.”

As a televised event, surrounded by panting pundits (including Yours Truly!) long on wind but short on perspective, the Mueller Testimony was a sleepy affair. The cameras rolled and every stone turned over yielded less than the one before. Democrats and analysts wore the crushing disappointment most seen on the faces of boys turned down as prom dates. Reality settled into the hearing rooms and studios like heat that squats on a desert. With every, “could you repeat that question?” and “I will let the report stand for itself,” the sweat of inevitability doused the dreams of drama. For the Democrats in particular, Mueller’s testimony could not have gone much worse.

Much has been made of Mr. Mueller’s appearance yesterday, especially in the morning session before the House Judiciary Committee. He did sometimes seem disconnected and distracted, a pitcher searching for command of his best pitch. Republicans, who have decided President Trump must be defended at all costs, used it to argue Mueller must not have been in charge of the investigation and that he had lost his faculties. This they fed into the narrative that the entire investigation had been nothing but a partisan witch hunt perpetrated by the “deep state” to overthrow Trump.

This is an especially ungracious approach to Mueller himself. A Marine who fought in Vietnam, and won commendations, Mueller has served his country for most of his adult life. Before he agreed to step into this abomination, he was universally regarded as detached and fair. Nothing he did yesterday should detract from that image. Even if he struggled in the morning, he mostly recovered in the afternoon, where he was more focused and in form. Besides, when presented with every opportunity to damage a president who has taken to social media to savage him unfairly, Mueller chose not to retaliate. He could have gravely wounded the Trump Administration with a few well-chosen words, such as, “If I were in your seat, madam, I would vote to impeach the President,” or, “If I were a federal prosecutor, sir, I would pursue charges against Mr. Trump after he leaves office.” Instead, he narrowed his comments to his role. Mueller proved himself yesterday worthy of respect and admiration, just not in the way television demands.