Our Leader  Henry Hyde: RIP -- Part One of Two

Editor's note. Please send your comments to me at daveandrusko@hotmail.com

My apologies for not following up on Friday, as I had promised, with additional thoughts on the passing of that towering pro-life figure, former Congressman Henry Hyde. Putting the final, final touches on the December issue of National Right to Life News proved to be more of a challenge than anticipated.

There is almost no limit to what you could say about Cong. Hyde (R-Illinois.), who served in Congress for 16 terms. Most obituaries I read gave equal prominence to his role in the 1999 impeachment of Bill Clinton (Mr. Hyde was a member of the House Judiciary Committee) and his position as the long-standing point man for our Movement in Congress.

But there was a third theme that some of the more perceptive writers at least mentioned: Cong. Hyde was a gentleman and a scholar, the kind of man who gave Congress some badly needed credibility. Even those who most disagreed with him on a wide variety of issues praised his humanity and his character.

This bipartisan acknowledgement of Hyde's gentle nature was mentioned many times at the 2006 Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner at which the NRL Educational Trust Fund honored Hyde for his storied career. Let me quote here from the tribute paid that night by Congressman Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) to this giant of a man.

"He is a leader who has won the undying respect of colleagues on both sides of the political aisle. He is known to be fair and respectful. He is a man of the utmost integrity. And he wields the gavel with grace and humor. The Almanac of American Politics has called him 'one of the most respected and intellectually honest members of the House.' Politics in America notes that 'few can match him in the sheer power of his oratory or the agility of his intellect.' If central casting in Hollywood were looking for someone to play the role of the wise and honorable committee chairman, it would need look no further than Henry Hyde."

The measure of any man is not only his contributions while he is alive but what foundation he helps lay for the future. Chabot talked about both of these legacies:

"In addition to our great love for Chairman Hyde, we all share another common bond. We believe in the right to life for all God's children. And Henry Hyde has been the leader who has never wavered in his fight on behalf of unborn babies. We have had many wonderful Members of Congress who have engaged in the battle but nobody has been more committed, more effective, more eloquent than Henry Hyde. He has been our leader. And when he leaves the Congress, he will be greatly missed. But he will leave behind a committed band of followers who have learned under his tutelage and will keep the pro-life flame burning. We owe it to those unborn babies. And we owe it to our leader, Henry Hyde."

As you read his magnificent words Hyde's eloquence on behalf of the littlest Americans can only be partially grasped. You almost had to be there to understand how powerfully he made the case for life.

The preeminent example was his 1996 plea to his colleagues to override President Clinton's veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. Even if you've read this ten times, take a moment to read it an eleventh time. Store it on your hard drive for the next time times are tough and you need a special inspiration.(www.nrlc.org/news_and_Views/Nov07/nv110207part3.html

Let me close by providing links to three of the many articles we've written over the years about Congressman Hyde.

www.nrlc.org/news/2006/NRL05/EditorialPage2.html
www.nrlc.org/news_and_views/March06/nv032106.html
www.nrlc.org/news_and_Views/Nov07/nv110207part2.html

In presenting Cong. Hyde with a Presidential Medal of Freedom last month, President Bush may have put it best:

"He was a gallant champion of the weak and forgotten, and a fearless defender of life in all its seasons. Henry Hyde spoke of controversial matters with intellectual honesty and without rancor."

Part Two