independent. what else we did was lower the cost in america for our consumers. there is a better way to do it through technology and science than what they are currently doing. all they are doing is causing pain to americans and making china stronger and allowing china to pollute. last question. >> with regard to the childcare in the reconciliation bill. some of the people say that it is an attack on religious liberty because federal funds cannot be used to fund -- for a parent to fund their child going to a religious school. your reaction. >> that's wrong. they won't allow religious entities to utilize the money as well. it seems like it is an assault on religion time and again from removing the hyde amendment. something people have been able to be a part of. administration has a lot of things wrong with them. this is one of the tops. thank you all very much. >> harris: there you have it.

the leader of the republicans in the house. it was almost an answer back to president biden really trying to get his agenda through. talking about the jobs numbers and we created 531,000 of them and how america is coming back and work through all the problems they have economically and that we can take his agenda. can we, though? can we be saddled with his agenda? can we take on something that actually doesn't cost zero or even 1.75 trillion as you heard the house minority leader kevin mccarthy just saying it is more like $4 trillion. previously on the focus from jim jordan of ohio more like $4 trillion. you heard from democrat moderate senator joe manchin wharton says it's $4 trillion and why he wants it in writing. it is an unmitigated mess for the president of the united

states and leader of the republicans in the house just took more questions and more time talking with us than we've heard from the president at least today. maybe he will be back. he said he would take questions after everything passed. it is over 1,000 pages they were handed last night. who is reading all that to pass it and where is the cbo score that is so critical per the rules? a lot to get to. you are watching "outnumbered." i'm harris faulkner. today we're on the couch co-host. casey mcfarland former deputy national security advisor and bill mcgurn former speech writer for president george w. bush. great to have everybody today. emily, i will start with you because i saw a little bit of this reaction when kevin mccarthy was saying you know what these spending bills are like and know what the presidential agenda is like? it's like a weight on us and we're sinking. i thought of the word albatross. do you think that's what he meant?

>> exactly. he told a great analogy that he shared in the past prior spending junctions. i was sitting at a meet and greet and a student asked me about it. he was a swimmer. i gave an analogy that had to do with swimming. after world war ii america is in the pool racing against other swimmers of other countries and asked america to put on a 10 pound weight and still won and a 20 pound weight and went up until we got to 300 pound weights and he said not only did we start losing but then we sunk. his point was we never once said take off the weight. we've only said america doesn't swim like she used to and made the point to say rather than take the albatross off and remove the weight and unshackle the regulations and the spending gorgeous that keep happening, instead of addressing that, instead we shake our head and say what a shame. we aren't performing with the agility we used to. >> harris: i want the look at where the president of the united states is today on this

issue and jim jordan pointed this out last hour. he said look, we watch on the hill as nancy pelosi -- he is in the house. they watch up front seats because she is the speaker -- is 0 for 4. every time she said she was going to bring it -- it's predicated now. progressives say you can't have your bipartisan infrastructure which i think bipartisan is a cuss word to them. you can't have that until they get everything they want. their way or the highway and apparently they are in the car they want to be driving because it isn't going anywhere. >> the head of the progressives have said it is worth passing these bills even if we end up losing the house. she is willing to sacrifice the house an the altar of the spending bills. only 7 in 10 americans know little to nothing about it. 25% think it would help them. only 25% of those polled.

in fact only 47% of democrats, not even a majority of democrats think this bill would help them. you have jayapal saying this is the hill, i'm prepared to die on it. it's incredible. not only that jennifer granholm came out today asked about what her plan was to lower gas prices. she laughed and said that's hilarious. this is a very out of touch administration had a shell acting on thursday. things can be turned around. president barack obama dit. he got a second term. this is an administration not correcting the ship. make no mistake about it. >> harris: we have a lot to ask and a host of issues. meanwhile you saw me introduce casey mcfarland and bill mcgurn as we say goodbye to our

nation's former secretary of state under george w. bush. colin powell is being laid to rest and a beautiful memorial service is getting underway right now. in the last hour we watched as the hearse arrived at the national cathedral in washington, d.c. and we know that he said history in this country extended from his military service to include national security advisor under president reagan. i don't know if many people remember that. we know that he was chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and served for most of president bush east first term and nine months of president clinton's first term. we know he has great history and as a patriot in this country served as the secretary of state. let's watch this. micks down and listen together.

you are able. >> you may

>> let us pray with confidence to god that he will raise some imperfection in the company of the saints. deliver your servant: deliver him from all evil and set him free. that he may rest with all of your saints in the eternal habitations. where, with the father and the holy spirit live and reign, one god forever and ever. amen. >> let us also pray for all who mourn, that they may cast their care on god and know the consolation of his love. almighty god, look with pity upon the sorrows of your servants for whom we pray. remember them, lord in mercy.

nourish them in patients, comfort them with a sense of your goodness. lift up your countenance upon them and give them peace. through jesus christ, our lord, amen.

>> harris: the national cathedral in washington, d.c. where the memorial for general colin powell is now underway. you will see coming up, former secretary of state, plural, richard armitage, madeleine albright. and his family is there. his wife and children. k.t. mcfarland, you wrote some beautiful words this past week about colin powell. i was wondering if you would share some of those now. >> k.t.: you know. i think, harris, as you watch this, the life of colin powell is that he was the example. he was the american dream. the values that he had, seem kind of old-fashioned right now. but kimono colin powell started out he was not on the general's list. he was not even going to be promoted, until somebody in the johnson administration said hey, let's have a couple of black colonels on that list to be eligible to be made generals. he made it. within a few short years, he was in the inner circle of the

reagan administration. i think that is where he got his sense of optimism and his encouragement. but, to me when i look at the lessons, the military lessons, afghanistan, vietnam, the iraq war, colin powell's life. to me, the biggest legacy he leaves all of us, is his optimism and the idea that there is an american journey that we can all make. he was a true patriot. patriotism seems really hollow and dead right now. but, colin powell lives patriotism. i think that is the best legacy to all of us. let's go dust off some of those principles that seem so old-fashioned now. >> harris: while. just hearing you say that. that has such a real visual feel about it. bill mcgurn, your thoughts? >> bill: yeah i agree with kt. you watch these images and a look at this man who started out as a kid from the bronx. city college of new york, then rotc. started off as a young officer

in vietnam, then want to rise to joint chiefs, national security advisor, secretary of state. it is just an extraordinary life of service. as we look at that, i am a sucker for military funerals. i've been to a few at west point. you look at this, and just the beauty of it. because, we are honoring the lives of service and purpose. a lot of people denigrate the military, but at the essence of it, and i think of colin powell's life, is this principle that the strong protect the weak. that is why people enlist. to protect the country and to use their strength to protect, not to lord it over as the many other nations. you watch this, and it is just a wonderful thing for america to watch. funerals like this are very important in bringing people together. reminding us of higher things that are often lost in the day-to-day politics. >> harris: you know, as a

child of an army combat pilot, one who served under colin powell when he was chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, it was ingrained in me that it is also that notion that we are resilient to the nation. we persevere. it is important to look at our this country. to remind us of that. they have been shot in battle. they have been put in positions in places where you might not think we would ever come back and still we rise. colin powell was born in 1937, april 5th, to jamaican immigrants in harlem, new york. that part of his story, kt, something that people will often bring up is kind of an anecdote. oh, his parents are from jamaica. but he talked about really pushing against the headwind of people not believing that he could go wherever he wanted to go and do whatever he wanted to do. and work ethic determines so

much. >> k.t.: i work with him in the pentagon in the early days of the reagan administration. i was the speechwriter and he was the military assistant to defense. we were in and out of each other's offices a dozen times a day. i remember him talking about coming back from vietnam. when he got married. and they are showing now his widow. when they got married, he drove, and his army uniform through the south. he could not stop and use the restrooms at gas stations because they were white only gas stations. and yet, that did not define him. he knew that he was the symbol for a lot of african-americans come a lot of minorities in america. if you can make it here, even if you start off from the bronx and you are kid of immigrants and you don't go to west point, you don't do fancy things. i think that is the real essence of who he is as a person. the valleys. who talks about hard work and? colin powell was a reflection for all of us to take a step back, forget about the

dysfunction in washington and how everybody is going to show. just celebrate what is great about america. the way you have just talked about, harris. we may be in a bad place right now, but we are resilient. not just the military, but as a nation. that's what he stood for. >> harris: you mentioned alma powell. three children that she shared with colin powell anne-marie, linda, and michael. michael is going to be part of the tribute today. we understand that annamarie will be doing a reading. we will see some close-ups of that family with alma powell kind of in the foreground. her daughter to her right, i believe right shoulder from that video that we just saw. these are live pictures and they are at the capital. we don't control them. we will point out people as we go. right now, of course, the former secretary of state colin powell is entering the church. let's watch and listen.

>> though he were dead, yet shall he live. and whosoever livid and believed if in me, shall never die. i know that my redeemer lived. that he shall stand at the latter day. and though this thought he be destroyed, yet shall i see for myself and mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger. for none of us live to himself, and no one die to himself. for if we live, we live unto the lord. and if we die, we die unto the

lord. whether we live, therefore, or die. we are the lords. blessed are the dead who die in the lord. e them so say the spirit. for rest. from their labors. >> harris: i had mentioned earlier, what to anticipate today. among those even tribute, the former secretary of state madeleine albright. the techie terry 70 secular state armitage. michael powell, what you said

earlier ago is the son of collin and alma powell will be giving tribute. and then reading from several others including their daughter annamarie powell come alive. as this gets under way, i want to hear again from bill mcgurn and k.t. mcfarland. kind of setting the stage today for what america will watch as an important critical and timely part of our history. kt, he talked about dusting off values that are not necessarily vintage or old, as much as they are swept and tried and true. and bill, more from you now. >> bill: yet one of the things that strikes me, i'm a catholic, i don't share: paul's faith i love the translations they are using which sounds at the king james revise standard. it's beautiful and it's a reminder that the military does these things well. it is very solemn. this was a landmark figure in american history, not just because he was african-american and rose to the top corridors of

power, also he bridged in the military sense, vietnam from where he was a young officer to the wars in the gulf. i think after the first gulf war, the thought was that we had defeated the vietnam syndrome. i am not so sure that you could say that after what we saw in afghanistan earlier this year. but that was certainly one of his determinations. that was colin powell's determination. the power rules that if you're going to intervene, and like a lot of generals, he wanted it to be the last resort, not the first resort. but if you are, you want to do it decisively and with overwhelming force. if you look back at the first gulf war, it certainly would happen. he bridge that gap. i think that, writing his memoirs, he's talking about his early stint in vietnam, when he sang along with the vietnamese troops, the song el paso by marty robbins. and then he went back for a

summit as secretary of state in 2021 in hanoi and sang a version of it there. this is just a very important figure in the transition of our military, from a demoralized post-vietnam military to a revived military after that. he played an enormous role in that. you can see, this is an expression of love for colin powell. he brings together a lot of americans who honor this life of service. genuine service to the country. service above self. >> harris: amen to that. you talk about, i thought that was just so interesting what you said bill, in terms of reaching things together and our military war history. colin powell was awarded a purple heart, bronze star during the vietnam war. the nation was quite different. in fact, even different than what k.t. mcfarland was first describing. we've gone through several

generations of change and to mulch and war and it is a country, still a relatively young country as you look at across the world. right kt? as it comes to what it is today and what it can be, a great nation, there are keepers of the sword who lived in the hills key times. colin powell was certainly one of them. before during the iraq war, somebody was questioning him and saying you are just doing this because you want conquests and you want to take over the middle east. he said wait a minute, the only land any american president or any american has asked for is just enough to bury our dead. when are people, at great sacrifice themselves went abroad to defend your freedom. that says it all. >> harris: so true. bill, i know that the history

that you have, having worked in the white house. i have always been curious when you are speechwriter, there are always those people who are helpful or inspiring, or maybe even make it into the speech. what is your history with colin powell, with regard to that. i know your paths cross for just a short period of time, but they did cross. >> bill: it was unfortunately very short. my paths cross with them twice. once when i was working for national review in washington. ident with him as a lot of other reporters. and then i joined the bush administration, but it was in the second term, just as he was leaving. i did not have it. i wish i did, because as a presidential speechwriter, you have a lot of interactions with the secretaries giving their thoughts on things. so unfortunately, i did not have that experience with him directly, working with him as part of the bush white house.

i will say, i think he has been unfairly maligned for his report to united nations about the iraq war. he gave what was the best intelligence and analysts were at the time. i think he has very maligned for that. >> harris: bill i'm sorry to touch them. gently we want to get to the honorable richard armitage who is adept at terry secretary and state funder colin powell. and a memorial service is underway. let's watch. >> if i may, president biden, dr. biden, thank you very much for your attendance, particularly. president obama, mrs. obama, thank you so much for being here. thank you for leading our nation for eight years. with wit, wisdom, and dignity. and president and mrs. bush, thank you so much for being here. you lead our nation to the hard 9/11, did not let us take counsel of our fears, and brought us out the other side of

this war on terror. thank you. and mrs. clinton. so what do i say, do i say first lady? do i say secretary clinton? or senator clinton? i think i'll just contend myself by saying, we thank you for your years of service to our nation. you know if colin's affection for you. eleanor roosevelt wrote, "if at the end one can say, this man used to limit the powers that god granted him, he was worthy of love and respect and of the sacrifices of many people. made in order that he might achieve, what he deemed to be a set. then that life has been lived well, and there are no regrets." does that sound like somebody you know? seems take a husband, father, grandfather, of the powell family right here.

people asked me how did you develop a 40 year friendship with secretary powell, general powell. back then was colonel powell. well, you have two disgruntled multi tour combat vets who are not happy with the way we conducted the war, and certainly not happy with the way we left. and delighted to be part of a new administration which was coming into develop not only the weapon systems when needed, but redevelop the morale. in our nation. that was a natural bonding thing. one day i asked general powell, i think it was major general at the time. i said what's the secret to leadership, how do you know a good leader? he said well you know, you see some people and they look great. they look great in a uniform. but the fact of the matter is, that they cannot lead a horse to water. there are other people who look like an unmade bed. and yet they can lead people anywhere.

he said the trade i guess you would want to see a leader, is someone who, whose troops would follow him or her anywhere. anywhere. if only out of curiosity, and somebody who would follow him or her just to see where the heck he is going. as general powell what he learned in the army, what is most important thing he learned. he said the most important thing he learned was in rotc when he learned about the first general order. which cautions a century to take charge of this post, all government property in sight, and stand his post until properly relieved. but in his interpretation that did not mean you stood at the px which was warm, a lot of friendly faces going back. yeah you did that, that was part of a duty. but how about the motor pool. how about the repair shops, they are part of your duty to. you do not get to pick and choose what you like better.

he extended to people. he would say, i extend the first general order of people. so, we are all human, some people we like better than others. but, if you are in charge you cannot show it. : were always on that comment by saying, we all need to treat everyone with a little bit more kindness we think they deserve, because we do not know what is going on in their lives. i'm going to quickly throw out three anecdotes for you. this is a celebration. a celebration of life. i want to kind of fill that picture of colin powell out a little bit. i'm going to try to tie together his sense of humor, his insatiable curiosity, and his comfort in his own skin. one day, i was upstairs in the

pentagon, two floors above chairman powell. he bugs me and asked, can i come down. sure. i'll be right down. he rolled down the two flights of stairs into his office and nancy hughes was at the door, said go right on in. they are expecting you. will i wasn't expecting them, but i went on in and there was a boombox plane. a very tall gentleman. it also included general powell, it was the harlem globetrotters. the boombox was plain sweet georgia brown. they were passing the ball around. i am not unfamiliar with the passed ball court, back when i could really walk. i would say run, but really walk. so they asked me to join the circle, i did. every time one of the globetrotters would pass the ball to secretary powell, he would fumble it. he drop it. it would fall to the floor. so finally, one of the

globetrotters switched off the boombox. he said, what's up with you? use to we throwing the ball and you drop. and without a grin, without a grievous. he looked straight at that globetrotters said, while you were out shooting hoops i was out stealing hubcaps. the globetrotters said that was all right. he put the boombox back on and it was sweet georgia brown time again. i said he had an insatiable curiosity. nothing made secretary powell happier than to sneak away from his security duty and detail. does that sound familiar to anyone here? when he would do it in the state department, it would generally be followed by a call to me on the south saying i'm free. i broke out. and then he would tell me where he was. because it would not be long before security would be going crazy. will this day found him down in the parking lot of the space department. it is a huge underground

parking lot. he walked up to an attendant, who by the way, i am not sure knew if this was the secretary of state. set dumb at sector a set i've always wanted some and, how do you figure out who gets in the front row for the second row, which means you can egress roughly at the time you thought you going egress, and who gets in the back row eschenbach because that will take you 40 minutes. said it's very easy. you see people come in and you say, good morning. or it is snowing out there or traffic is bad today. we put them in the front row or the second row. if they come in with a window wound up, won't look right or left, just driving on past, 40 minutes and then they get out. they will be in the back row. this nugget was so enlightening to secretary powell that he made bold to ask about certain members of the hierarchy in the state department. you'll have to guess. i am not going to tell you who.

the majority of them got through to the first or second row but a couple actually ended up time and again, in the back row. while the third anecdote that i was going to say, had to do with secretary powell, general powell,, cp, harvey newman. as secretary of state. visiting foreign minister from sweden. she was in. she came in with her entourage and the secretaries were very well appointed in office. she knew of secretary powell's affection for abba. she knew secretary powell's affection for volvos. so she opened up a full cd deck of abba. and presented it to him. he immediately went down on one knee and saying the entire mama mia. to a very amused foreign minister from sweden. and to a gob smacked u.s.

delegation who never seen anything like it. well, our taste in music were not very similar except for one. every saturday afternoon at 5:00, we would listen to wp fw in washington. it's a specific radio. it's the people's radio. don't tell anybody who investigates us for security clearance, because this is liberation radio, if you will. there was a show at 5:00 in the afternoon hosted by mr. von martin, it is called caribbean on out. that is one thing that really like. whether it is bob marley in the wailers, we will hear more about that later. the swallow. a number of people. we really had great, that one music tastes. he loved the church. he love his ceremony. he loved the liturgy. he loved the high hymns. this made him extremely happy

and, as all my nose every day at seven i would call him or he would call me and we would get our days ready. except for sunday. on sunday, i would call at 9:30. he would answer the same way every sunday. he would say oh, yeah, i was at church. and i want you to know i'm in the state of grace. and i would answer the same way every sunday. if you're not in a state of grace, who among us is russian mark that was every day for almost 40 years. the same opening remarks. i grew up in the south, my taste in hymns is a little different from secretary powell's. my favorite hymn is won by the reverend fc lawrence. he sings it with his wife and it is called coming up on the rough side of the mountain. it's got three verses and two

courses. i'm just going to submit you to the third verse. this old race will soon be over. they'll be no more race to run. and i will stand before god's throne, all my heart aches will be gone. and i will hear my savior say, welcome home. be real quiet. listen real carefully. and you might hear our savior say, colin powell, welcome home. and here's your starry crown. and finally, a message to alma and the kids. very busy father very busy husband and a huge responsibility. i've talked to him once, sometimes 15 times a day for 40 years. never in the 40 years driver call his ever failing to either start her and his day by telling

me what alma was doing, what michael and jane were doing, what linda was doing, what annamarie and francis with the grandkids were doing. the reason i mention this, is because i think as a husband, as a father, as a friend, i do not think we share often enough how we really feel with our family. sometimes i think we take it for granted. i want you to know, that he did not take it for granted every morning or evening. i heard about it. so, god bless colin powell and god bless the powell family and god bless us all. thank you.

>> president biden, president obama, president bush, secretary clinton, distinguished leaders and guests, my heart is sad for i have lost a friend. alma, michael, linda, annamarie, the remarkable powell family. i am grateful to you for inviting me to share my thoughts in this hour of celebration and remembrance. in 1993, when i began serving as america's ambassador to the u.n., general colin powell was already in his final months as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. at white house meetings, i came equipped with a yellow pad. he brought a laser pointer. and an array of multicolored slides. i wore pin, he wore a lot of metals. i was a mere mortal female

civilian, in the wake of operation desert storm, he was the hero of the western world. on policy come the general and i did not always reach the same conclusions. in fact, he would later recount that one of my comments almost gave him an aneurysm. although we were the same age, he and i were shaped by different experiences. and had different ideas and represented different departments. but over the past quarter-century, we also became very close friends and experienced, i know that i have in common with many of you. the reason is, that beneath that glossy exterior of warrior statesmen, was one of the gentlest and most decent people any of us will ever meet. as i grew to know him, i came to view colin powell as a figure who almost transcended time. for his virtues were homeric, honesty, dignity, loyalty and an unshakable commitment to his

calling and word. these were the same traits he saw tirelessly to instill in the soldiers under his command. the diplomats he led. the colleagues with whom he worked. the readers of his books, the audiences that flocked to his speeches, the students of the powell school for civic and global leadership in the thousands of young people who benefited from the america's promise alliance that alma and he champions. he relished the opportunity to connect with other generations. it is always the right time, he told us, and i quote "to reach out to someone who is wanting to look up and to each in our own way, to have put that fellow american on the road to success. "a first-rate listener and government, the ultimate team player, was nevertheless always true to himself. he could not moved by any threat

from what he thought was right. he had a code instilled by his immigrant parents. honed by army tradition, and nurtured by more than half a century of marriage. he was also guided by conscious, that unlike many, never slept. he was incredibly cool. people in public life tend to hyperventilate. we open our mouths and the superlatives just gush forth. greatest worse. the greatest deal ever come of the biggest disaster ever. as each issue offered a choice between utopia and perdition. over the decades, i sat in many meetings with, where i could almost hear his eyes roll. when it was his turn to speak, he was brilliant at bringing over the moon claims down to earth and is distilling what truly mattered from what did not. his effectiveness was magnified by his lack of interest in racking up partisan debating

points, or improving how macho he could be as a negotiator. he cared only about achieving results, and somehow, through the strengths of his personality he made pragmatism charismatic. his legacy of service to the country that he loved will long survive his passing. from rescuing fellow soldiers while in combat, to presiding over the rollback of aggression in the middle east, to orchestrating after 9/11 a global alliance against al qaeda, to modernizing the practice of diplomacy. he devoted the full measure of his energy and skill to advancing national interests and to the common good. he did so in the right way, which is why the army loved him, why his adversaries respected him, and why within the state department he was far more popular than his predecessor.

i remember the day his nomination as secretary of state was announced, because: drove himself, having escaped his security service over to my house, so we could begin planning a smooth transition. amid the rancor of the 2,000 election, he was determined to set the right example. there is a photo taken a few days later, which shows him arriving at the state department. we are laughing. and on the cusp of a warm embrace. i treasure that picture because it captures our relationship that is grown from mutual respect to one of mutual affection. it did help, that we both had a sense of humor. in his memoir, he recalled that during one session on bosnia, where i was advocating the use of force, he had felt compelled to explain to me, patiently, the military's proper role. when the book came out, he sent me a copy inscribed, patiently

yours, collin. when i replied, i signed my note of thanks, forcefully yours, madeleine. in time, we really did become the closest of friends. traveling together for speeches, trading frequent phone calls, and having lunch at his beloved cafe og. we talked a lot about our gratitude to the country. our pride and our families and our dis- taste aging. he offered me plenty of advice. the last time i saw him, he instructed me to count each step in order to avoid tripping or falling down the stairs. i now do that, several times a day and each time i think of him. this morning, my heart aches because we have lost a friend and our nation, one of its finest and most loyal soldiers. yet even as we contemplate the magnitude of our loss, we can

almost hear a familiar voice asking us, commanding us to stop feeling sad, to turn our gaze once again from the past to the future, and to get on with the nation's business. while making the absolute most of our own days on earth. one step at a time. to that command, we can only reply, yes, sir.

[choir singing] >> harris: we have heard from a couple of people who knew colin powell well. but no one like who is coming up next who was his son, michael jay powell. while they get ready with that,

these beautiful hymnals now being played. we want to kind of unpack a little bit about what we have seen. there were some moments there that were really life. there is a lot of levity there. i think that that was reflection of not only colin powell's personality but those that he was drawn to in his life. katie, your thoughts. >> k.t.: he never took himself too seriously. he wore his iconic present spirit he wore easily. richard armentrout said that he was comfortable in his own skin. the other thing that struck me, and rich armitage, when he spoke and said that they'd both been in vietnam and when they came back from vietnam, country in the military was demoralized. my job was to go around, and i was a speechwriter for the secretary of defense and for sometimes the president. president reagan. my job was to go around and asked all of these fellows, men, who had been in vietnam, what did we do wrong? what did we do right? what were the lessons learned? so, i wrote a speech for the

secretary of defense, which ultimately became the weinberger doctrine and with the powell doctrine. i talked to both rich armitage and secretary powell and they were really clear about the mistakes america had made in going to war. only with the support of the american people and only if we intend to win. we are still grappling with those questions now, after iraq and afghanistan. he was referring to an unanswered question in american history. but as you said, so poignantly harris, we make mistakes but then we dust ourselves off and we get back up on that horse and we do it again. i think that his life was book ended by vietnam on one hand, and by afghanistan on the other. when he came in and when he went out. and yet in the middle, he had a profound effect on how and when and why america should go to war. >> harris: yeah. i come by that honestly, just buy my own life and my faith,

that has taught me sometimes the only reason that you do fall down is because you are being used as an example. by a higher power for others. your ability to not lose your faith, and keep climbing into proof that hope and faith go hand-in-hand, and so does production. when you've put all those things together, you will produce a mighty example. bill mcgurn, hearing for madeleine albright, one thing struck me. her voice is as clear as it was decades ago. i mean, just the way that she walked us through those moments of history, it was as though she was still in them and forecasting the future to us. >> bill: yeah. it was a remarkable tribute. she pointed out, candidly that they did not always agree. they approach things from different directions. but again, i think it is part of the message of this. this is a funeral for a family that is really hurting right now. but it is also for the nation.

we have lost an incredible leader, a man that unified us in some ways. and again, i go back, this service is just a beautiful religious service. i was glad to see mr. armitage speak frankly of colin powell's face. he did not wear it on a sleeve, apparently, but it was real. you get that sense, looking at the music and the whole thing worked together so well. you get a sense of the man. that was able to get along with a lot of different people. kt, going back to the vietnam thing, i think that is so, not for god, but the revival of the military after demoralization of vietnam, i think it was a large part of what he does. what he did, what is a congressman's work. and also, the point that kt made, if you're going to go on a war, you owe it to the americans in uniform that you send in

harm's way to try and win it. there is nothing worse than going in and not trying to win. >> harris: bill, i am going to gently touch on now, michael powell, son of: and alma powell is preparing to speak. the hymnals have wrapped now and we do not want to miss a second of any of this. this has been seamless. meaning that there is not one person sort of leading us through this, so we watch it as it happens. let's watch together. speak to my sisters and i were raised under the stars. the stars of a story to general we eulogize today. dad was famous for his 13 rules. but our family life was on regimented. no morning reveille or marching

drills. it was a warm and joyous and loving home. anchored by our strong and graceful mother, elma. our parents taught us right. they taught us wrong. and they taught us to take responsibility for our actions and never to blame others. disappointing them was the worst punishment you could imagine. my father is frequently remembered as a problem solver. while his solutions to world problems may have been elegant, his fixes around the house or bit more crew jeep. he believed he could cheaply fix anything with a little duct tape, some wire, and a can of spray paint. he'd even propose a solution for a nonexistent problem, just to satisfy his curiosity. about how something worked.

like the time in high school that he decided that my cherished 1962 chevy impala was making a noise. it definitely was not making a noise. nonetheless, he went after the phantom sound by pulling the engine, something he had never done before. he spent a whole weekend hanging chain, and horse in the engine and messing with who knows what. when he put it back together, and started it, the car walks like a helicopter. we rushed to the door and saw him backing out of the driveway with a big crowd smile on his face. but that smile faded quickly when he shifted the car into drive and it would never go forward again. but, he was always thinking. so he donated it to the local fire department. to get it there, he literally drove the car backwards on

public roads for 3 miles. smiling at astonished drivers along the way. he liked tinkering. when he was a one star general living in fort carson colorado, he inexplicably became fascinated with mechanical adding machines. he would buy them by the pallet at auction and then try to get the machines to work at one point, there were so many adding machines, that he had to store them in the garage refrigerator. i suppose every general needs a senior eccentricity. george patton had pearl had revolvers, colin powell had adding machines. his zest for life derived from his endless passion for people. he was generally interested in everyone he met. he loved the hot dog vendor, the bank teller, janitor. and a student, as much as any

world leader. not long ago, he was driving his corvette on the beltway and got a flat tire. a young disabled veteran saw him and pulled over to help. with the tire fixed, the young that sheepishly asked if he could take a quick selfie. but my dad took time to ask about his family. and his friends and his life. something no instagram moment could ever uncover. a few days later, to thank him for his help, my father invited the vet and his entire family over for dinner. : paul was a great leader because he was a great follower. he knew he could not ask his troops to do anything you are unwilling to do yourself. one time outs walking into the px with my dad. we came upon a corporal salute and the captain over and over again. my father walked up and ask this captain what he was doing.

the captain replied sir, this corporal failed to salute me, so i am making them salute me a hundred times. my dad said that is fine, but you make darn sure you salute him back every single time. the exchange of salutes is sign of mutual respect. he love the troops with all his heart. the morning i was flying to germany for my first assignment as a new army officer, he came into my room to say goodbye. he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and whispered gently, take care of our soldiers. countless people have benefited from his mentorship. he could offer weighty wisdom and a few choice words. i recall when i was chairman of the sec and having a very rough go in the press, i emailed him and asked, maybe i should consider stepping down. the response was swift.

powell is to not quit. people will long forget the issues you are dealing with but they will never forget how you conduct yourself. then he quoted a passage from thomas jefferson's second inaugural address which reads, "i have learned to respect that it will rarely fall to the lot of a perfect man to retire from his station with the reputation and the favor which brought him into it." in other words, public service comes at a cost. if you are committed to doing the right thing. : luther was very proud of his jamaican immigrant heritage. and loved his big west indian family. family was the foundation of his beliefs and the source of never-ending comfort. bringing shame to the family, was the cardinal sin. he frequently said, do not forget where you came from, words that call us to remain

grateful, to stay humble, and to be brave. in the road to character, david brooks draws the distinction between resume virtues and eulogy virtues. resume virtues are your achievements and skills. eulogy virtues are those discussed at your funeral. the ones that exist at the core of your being, whether you are kind, brave, honest or faithful. this person is a quiet but solemn sense of right and wrong, not only to do good but to be good. he wants to love intimately and to sacrifice self and the service of others and to live in obedience to some transcendent trust. that was my father. the example of: paul does not call on us to emulate his resume, which is too formidable for mere mortals.

it is to emulate his character, and his example as a human being, we can strive to do that. we can choose to be good. we walk through this life, holding hands with the ones we love. they guide us. they pull us out of harm's way, they touch and caress us with love and kindness. one of my most powerful memories comes from holding my dad's hand. i was hurt very badly and lying in an bed following a bad accident. it was the middle of the night, yet my father was by my side. after a long day of work. i was squirming in pain and anguish. without a word, he just took my hand and squeezed it with a father's love.

it instantly relaxed and put me at peace. the last night of his life, i walked in to see him. now he was the one line in an icu bed. he could not see or speak to me. so i took his hand, just as he had taken mind decades before. i knew everything was not going to be okay. i wanted him to be at peace. but again, i felt my father's love in that hand. that hand that took my mother's hand in matrimony. that hand that held me as a baby. that hand that signed report cards, tots baseballs, and sold old cars. that hand that signed treaties