Henry Hyde

Most people will remember Henry Hyde for his commitment to the unborn or for his role in the impeachment of Bill Clinton (a role he assumed with no great pleasure).

I remember Henry Hyde as simply the greatest orator of his generation.

Watching Hyde speak on the House floor was like watching Larry Bird play basketball or Tiger Woods play golf or Ted Williams swing a baseball bat. It was mesmerizing.

When Henry Hyde would step up to the well, the House floor would invariably stay quiet, just to hear his clear, strong voice speak with controlled passion and impeccable logic.

I was always partial to Chairman Hyde, because he came from that long line of remarkable Illinois Republicans, starting with Abe Lincoln, and including Joe Cannon, Everett Dirksen, Bob Michel and finishing up with Denny Hastert.

Henry was at his best when he was talking about defending the most innocent among us, the unborn. Even if you didn’t agree with Henry Hyde on the issue of abortion, you had to admire his passion and his eloquence.

Hyde wasn’t a doctrinaire conservative. He knew how to cut a deal. After all, the Hyde amendment was a compromise that has stood the test of time for decades.

Henry ran afoul of gun owners on occasion and he voted to help the poor more than some fiscal conservatives would have liked.

But in his heart, he was small-government conservative, who took good care of his constituents, as he became a truly remarkable leader of this nation.