Joe Manchin: “I rise to speak of my dear friend who is departing too early. I am going to wait until he gets done with all of the…”

“I rise to speak of my dear friend who is departing too early. I am going to wait until he gets done with all of the congratulatories that he deserves. I rise again to congratulate my dear friend Mitt Romney, whom I have gotten to know very well and became a very close friend to. His wife Ann and their family and Gayle and I have become very close to each other and enjoyed our company. I have followed Mitt's career from afar for a long time. I watched the success that he had as he came up through the business ranks very successfully. I watched that. I observed the Olympics, which was going to be embarrassing to the United States of America if someone didn't step forward and take care of the mess that it had gotten itself into, and lo and behold, Mitt Romney did that. I was so thankful as an American and also admiring of his skills to pull this all together because I know it is a difficult task working with that Olympic Committee. I watched his Presidential campaigns, which I thought were absolutely electrifying, and I enjoyed it because I could see in his heart that public service was what it was all about. But my first encounter with Mitt was as a former Governor. We were both Governors together at the same time. I was coming in in 2004, and he was going out in 2006. He did this unbelievable thing about giving healthcare to everybody in his State, and it was just absolutely something phenomenal. So I called. Governors have a certain bond.…”