Chris Smith: “Mr. Speaker, the House just isn't going to be the same without Henry Hyde, one of the rarest, most accomplished and most…”

“Mr. Speaker, the House just isn't going to be the same without Henry Hyde, one of the rarest, most accomplished and most distinguished Members of Congress ever to serve. Henry Hyde is a class act. He is a man of deep and abiding faith. He is generous to a fault, and he has an incisive mind that works seamlessly with his incredible sense of humor. He is a speaker of truth in a society that all too often is willing to accept cheap sophism, the plausible and the fraudulent. He is a man who inspires and challenges all of us to look beyond surface appeal arguments, and Henry Hyde compels us to take seriously the admonitions of holy scripture to care for the downtrodden, the vulnerable and least of our brethren. The 'Almanac of American Policy' has written that Henry Hyde is one of the most respected and intellectually honest Members of the House and has proven himself as one of the most eloquent Members as well. His speeches, they point out, and I agree, are classics. Mr. Speaker, in abortion debates Henry Hyde remains the great defender of children and their moms, the champion of the most fundamental of all human rights, the right to life.”