On Tuesday I compared Kevin McCarthy’s stewardship of the debt ceiling standoff to Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s stewardship of Flight 1549. In both cases, against all odds, a certain disaster was averted by the almost miraculous skill of the pilot.

After Wednesday night’s House vote, that comparison no longer feels fair—to McCarthy.

Sullenberger was still forced to crash-land on the water, after all, surviving by the skin of his teeth. McCarthy ended up gliding in for an uneventful landing at the local airport, grinning and thumbs-upping the whole way. 

And he did it despite never having flown a plane before.