"Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia gets the honor tonight for skipping the historic vote on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'"
"I made a commitment to my family."
"I didn't support either measure, but my votes weren't counted because I wasn't in the Senate chamber to cast them."
"I hope you never have to go through this."
"They don't ask for much, just an opportunity to be able to provide for their families."
"We have so many States that cannot fulfill their obligations."
"It's just not fair."
"I don't want any State, or any employer, or any employee in any State to go through what our people had gone through."
"What I'm trying to find out is, how do we prevent that?"
"It's a great honor to represent the people of West Virginia."
"Simply put, it should be a right for every single toddler to be enrolled in a high-quality, early-education program."