Sen. Joe Manchin, West Virginia Democrat, didn't let partisan politics keep him from speaking the truth, as he saw it, about Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, saying the soon-retiring senator had poor leadership skills.
"Well, first of all, Harry's a good man," Manchin said during a recent "Morning Joe" appearance on MSNBC.
But that doesn't necessarily mean he was a great leader, he went on, the Hill reported.
Manchin said: "His leadership and the things he thought would work did not. So with that, you just move on."
Manchin also said he felt optimistic at being able to work with the Republican-controlled Senate, and he would not seek the governor's slot for West Virginia, as many have theorized.
"Me walking away [from the Senate], I think, would be much worse when I have a chance to make a difference," he said. "I'm in the middle now, they're looking for somebody in the middle, they need six of me to make something work."
He also shut the door to a governor's run on "Face the Nation" on CBS, saying: "I feel that I can have the greatest impact on West Virginia and America by staying in Washington. This place may not be working now, but I'm not going to stop fighting to make it work."