Scandal File: Nowhere to Hyde

SOON enough, the baton in the Clinton scandals will pass from Kenneth Starr to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, who is an entirely different animal. A former staffer remembers Hyde one day “sitting at his desk, smoking a huge, huge cigar. He pulls out of his desk one of those terrible abortion pictures, points his cigar at it and says, ‘How the hell can someone be in favor of this?’”

That is pure Hyde. He is a congressional Old Bull who nonetheless has a keen and unmovable moral sense. He is a conviction politician who nonetheless manages to be a team player in the House GOP. He is an articulate and sharp-witted Republican who nonetheless enjoys the respect and affection of Democrats. He could, in short, be President Clinton’s worst nightmare.

About the Author

Jack Fowler

Jack Fowler is a contributing editor at National Review and a senior philanthropy consultant at American Philanthropic.

Featured Tags

Manage following

Bill Clinton

Impeachment

House of Representatives

SOON enough, the baton in the Clinton scandals will pass from Kenneth Starr to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, who is an entirely different animal. A former staffer remembers Hyde one day “sitting at his desk, smoking a huge, huge cigar. He pulls out of his desk one of those terrible abortion pictures, points his cigar at it and says, ‘How the hell can someone be in favor of this?’”

That is pure Hyde. He is a congressional Old Bull who nonetheless has a keen and unmovable moral sense. He is a conviction politician who nonetheless manages to be a team player in the House GOP. He is an articulate and sharp-witted Republican who nonetheless enjoys the respect and affection of Democrats. He could, in short, be President Clinton’s worst nightmare.