I think you misunderstand. He didn't refer to Davis as "his friend" only once. This just kept on happening over and over and with other flattery as well. He spent so much time gushing over Davis, and how much he respected him, that he didn't use his time to state his point. I listened to this quite a long time before I turned the station. It was the worst type of this flattery I had ever heard. I was disgusted.
So then, does Pence being nice to Lanny Davis negate all the good things he's done as a congressman?