Mitt Romney: “I am not going to take long because I know we are delayed from a vote. But I had the privilege of working with this…”

“I am not going to take long because I know we are delayed from a vote. But I had the privilege of working with this young man from West Virginia for some time. As a matter of fact, as the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, he took responsibility for overseeing the national parks, and he had never been to the State that has five of them, the State of Utah. So I invited him and his wife Gayle to come visit us in Utah and visit some of our national parks. And we walked together and hiked together, and he made sure that Gayle was able to make it through all of the rocks and crevices and see the beauty of our great land, one more State. But I have come to know this man not just by virtue of his physical prowess but as a man of character. And a number of people have spoken about the legislation that he has worked on, and we worked together on several pieces of legislation and accomplished a great deal. But that which has stood out in my experience with Joe Manchin is that he is a man who stands by his belief. He is a man of principle and character. And my life's lesson has been that one person of conscience and character can change a whole nation. And Joe has had that kind of influence on the people of his State and the people around him, the people in this body, and the people in our Nation. And so I salute, along with my colleagues, the great Senator from the State of West Virginia, Joe Manchin. Thank you, my friend.…”