[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 71 (Wednesday, June 7, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H3486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING HENRY HYDE

  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of 
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Sodrel).
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from Ohio 
is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the distinguished chair of 
the Middle East Subcommittee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, for putting together a 
Special Order this evening for one of the finest persons ever to serve 
in the United States Congress, our hero, Henry Hyde.
  I have been blessed during my service in Congress every day for the 
last 12 years because I have been able to call Henry Hyde ``Mr. 
Chairman'' first on the Judiciary Committee, and then for the last 6 
years on the International Relations Committee, because he has been the 
chairman of both those committees.
  He is a leader who has won the undying respect of colleagues on both 
sides of the 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.''
  You know, if central casting in Hollywood were looking for someone to 
play the role of the wise and honorable committee chairman, it would 
need to look no further than Henry Hyde.
  It would be impossible to talk about Henry Hyde and not talk about 
the one issue that I think he has cared more about than all of the 
other issues that he has dealt with here as a Member of this House, and 
that is the pro-life issue. He has been Congress' conscious. He has 
been the Nation's conscious on this important issue. Henry Hyde has 
been a leader who has never wavered on behalf of unborn babies. We have 
had many distinguished Members of Congress who have engaged in this 
discussion, this issue, this battle, but nobody has been more committed 
or more effective or more eloquent than Henry Hyde.
  When he leaves this 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.
  For the last 6 years, Chairman Hyde has headed up the International 
Relations Committee. And as members of the committee, we know that 
Henry commands the respect of leaders throughout the world. When 
presidents and prime ministers and kings and sultans and emirs and 
chancellors and other leaders come here to Washington, they make it a 
point to pay a visit to Chairman Henry Hyde because they respect him 
greatly and they seek his guidance and his counsel.
  Henry has also been a great friend to me personally. I cannot thank 
Henry enough for all of the things that he has done for me since I 
first came to this institution. It has been wonderful to be his friend. 
But more importantly, I want to thank him on behalf of those 
defenseless little babies that he so tirelessly has defended during his 
years in Congress.
  His eloquence and good sense has changed the way that Americans feel 
about abortion. He tells it like it is, and he has paved the way for 
another generation of leaders to fight this noble battle. It is a 
battle that I have no doubt that one day we will win.
  Mr. Speaker, when the 110th Congress convenes next January, the 
Capitol of the United States will be a different place. For the first 
time in 32 years, Henry Hyde won't be taking the oath of office to 
represent the 6th District of Illinois in the United States House of 
Representatives. For those of us that have had the honor to serve in 
this Chamber, there will be a sense of loss. But I know that our 
friend, Henry Hyde, will have plenty to contribute to his beloved 
country. A couple of years ago, Henry told a Chicago newspaper ``maybe 
I lost a step or two, but I don't think God is through with me yet.'' 
Let's hope not. God bless you, Henry Hyde, and God bless the country 
that you have loved so much.

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