By uttering two matter-of-fact sentences, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell performed an essential service to his party and country. When asked about the Republican National Committee's description of the attack on the Capitol last year as an instance of "legitimate political discourse," McConnell didn't mince words:

"It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election, from one administration to the next. That's what it was."

That is indeed what it was, despite former President Donald Trump's attempt — embarrassingly echoed by many Republicans, and endorsed by the RNC — to claim that it was nothing more than an exercise of First Amendment rights.

The RNC's decision to censure two party members who have courageously participated in the congressional inquiry into Jan. 6 was a pathetic bit of pandering to the party's most extreme voices, and McConnell wasn't the only Republican to rebuke it.

They all seem to recognize the obvious: Attempting to rebrand a violent attack as legitimate discourse is not a winning campaign strategy for 2022 and beyond, especially for a party that purports to speak for law and order.

McConnell has consistently spoken out at key moments to protect the integrity of the democratic process.

When Trump suggested that the 2020 election could be postponed, McConnell quickly threw cold water on the idea, saying: "Never in the history of the country, through wars and depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time, and we'll find a way to do that again this Nov. 3."

When the Electoral College concluded its vote counting and declared Joe Biden the winner of the presidential election, McConnell publicly congratulated him. When Republican senators lodged objections to the vote, he refused to join them.

Critics will say McConnell hasn't spoken out forcefully and frequently enough. Perhaps.

McConnell recently announced that he intends to run for another term as leader next year. That's encouraging. Even his fiercest critics should concede: He has been a stabilizing force for democracy. For that, he deserves the support of Republicans — and the respect of Democrats.