Many of us have waited in hope. A whole week has passed. And yes, the only Republican to push back against President Trump’s recent attack against a free press is still Sen. Ben Sasse. All by himself. But Republicans hoping another Trumpnado would bury this sorry moment – like, perhaps, a firestorm over communicating with Gold Star families -- got the cover they wanted.

In the age of Trump, we all move on. Memories don’t fade with new controversies; they are obliterated. Yet this is a transgression worthy of reminder, particularly for those Republicans who think they still have a party left. It was perhaps the last setting where one would expect an American president -- even Donald Trump -- to don his dictator cap and lash out against a constitutionally protected right. Yet seated next to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Oval Office on October 11, the president said, with his trademark gusto, “It’s frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write,” and “people should look into it.”

That morning, by tweet, Trump had suggested that NBC’s broadcast license be revoked. “With all of the fake news coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!” Apparently, that wasn’t enough, because later that day he wrote: “Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!”

Immediately a senator called upon FCC commissioners to affirm the First Amendment. Too bad it was Richard Blumenthal, who is a Democrat. No one cares what the Democrats say about Trump, and don’t conservatives indict liberals on a regular basis for trying to kill free speech? Yup.

But it was one of those times for everyone to move on, except for Sasse, who tweeted: “Mr. President: Are you recanting of the Oath you took on Jan. 20 to preserve, protect and defend the 1st Amendment?” Would that it were only because Sasse has five academic degrees and knows more about our constitutional rights than his colleagues. No, conservatives pride themselves on their reverence for the Constitution, and for those in office, the oath they have taken to faithfully follow the Constitution.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, appearing last Sunday on an MSNBC show, “Kasie DC,” was of course asked by Kasie Hunt about Trump’s tweets and threats, and said: “I’m a constitutional conservative. I agree with the First Amendment. I’ll leave it at that.” The problem for Ryan is, he left it at that.

Congressional Republicans quietly cling to a comforting rationalization as they observe Trump’s disturbing interpretation of the separation of powers defined in the Constitution -- he has attacked the legislative branch, the judiciary and his own intelligence community, and on Thursday even accused the FBI of treason. This guy always says kooky things, right? It’s just his “style.” The base hates the media anyway, and loves this. And hey, he doesn’t really mean it, he barks but won’t bite! Despite the threats, he didn’t try and change the libel laws to punish journalists or eliminate on-camera briefings at the White House after all. Phew.

And there was a time when Trump defended the press against the government when Fox News reporter James Rosen was named a “co-conspirator” by the Obama Justice Department, which used the Espionage Act to target journalists more than any of President Obama’s predecessors combined. On May 28, 2013, Trump tweeted: “I commend Roger Ailes for publicly supporting @foxnews employees against the Obama administration’s intimidation of its reporters.”

The president is actually a number one fan of the First Amendment, penning constant tweets that go beyond the equivalent of yelling “fire” in a movie theater. And his need for this freedom would qualify as something that goes beyond medallion level if he could earn usage rewards. His constitutionally protected right permitted him to threaten nuclear war on Twitter on September 23. When someone gravely concerned likely approached the commander-in-chief about this reckless statement, he began carrying on about a national anthem crisis in the National Football League that went on -- without pause -- for days.

Yet Republicans in a co-equal branch of government do not appear free to speak. With the rare exception, as when Trump blundered following a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville where a woman was killed, the response is nothing, ever.

They didn’t speak out when the president undermined his secretary of state over Twitter for all the world to see while Rex Tillerson was in China attempting to negotiate with the Xi government over a nuclear standoff with North Korea. They had no problem with Trump suggesting that NFL owners fire players who kneel during the national anthem, or Vice President Pence’s $250,000 taxpayer-funded protest at an Indianapolis Colts game. Trump’s lies about Sen. Bob Corker begging for his endorsement, and subsequently calling the chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee “‘Liddle’ Corker” -- whose vote he desperately needs on key initiatives -- were just something to move on from. Picking a fight with the mayor of San Juan days into historic devastation on the island of Puerto Rico? Threats to pull federal resources out of Puerto Rico? His tweet warning that the North Koreans “may not be around much longer” -- still not alarming enough. Gotta move on.

Even Rush Limbaugh is nervous that Trump is starting to sound allergic to the Constitution when it comes to the NFL campaign. Yes, Limbaugh. “There’s a part of this story that’s starting to make me nervous, and it’s this: I am very uncomfortable with the president of the United States being able to dictate the behavior and power of anybody. That’s not where this should be coming from," he said. That would seem like permission enough for a few congressional Republicans, here or there, to speak out against a president telling the private sector whom to fire, but Lord knows they wouldn’t touch it when he was attacking certain companies like Carrier, excoriating them for moving operations to Mexico. It should have crossed the ultimate line for conservatives who oppose the government attempting to intervene with preferences or punishment in private industry, a point articulated eloquently by George Will, but elected Republicans were largely mute.

We’re not counting on Republicans to pretend Trump reveres the Constitution, but to show us that they still do. That will demand a defense of the role of a very imperfect -- but free -- press in a democracy.

An FCC commissioner who appeared Sunday on CNN, Jessica Rosenworcel, warned: “History won’t be kind to silence.” We can hope Republicans are chagrined they haven’t pushed back on Trump’s constant attacks on the press as “Fake News” and the “enemy of the people,” and now the threat of government censorship of the media. They know his attacks undermine a core tenet of our liberty. Yet they have acquiesced.