HEATHER ZIEGLER

WHEELING - U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said today, President Obama's looming budget debt is not a legacy to be proud of, and should be addressed sooner rather than later.

"He will talk about the overall economy with over $19 trillion of debt. That's not a legacy to be proud of with no downward project to get rid of that debt," Manchin said during a press conference this morning.

Manchin suggested Obama also will focus on job creation during his State of the Union address slated for tonight. While Manchin said that is fine, he believes the president has failed West Virginia.

"He will talk about all the jobs he created. But I would say to him 'you are president of 50 states, not 39 or 40. That's not what you are charged to do as a country.'"

Manchin said clean air legislation, as it stands today, is detrimental to the Mountain State's economy and cannot be realized with current technology.

"We don't have the technology to allow us to continue the use of fossil fuels, including coal, to enable us to meet the standards we have set. Everybody in the market knows that renewables can't pick up the load."

In pointing out his take on the state of the union, Manchin said he would say to the president, "We cannot operate in fear. We should not be afraid. We're the hope of the world. We have a strong economy, a good department of defense with military might. Now you have to get your house in order to pay for it and sustain it."