thank you so much to both of you, richard haas and michael gordon.. ♪♪ >> woodruff: president biden is again spending the week selling his infrastructure and "build back better" agenda to the american people and to members of his own party in congress. joining me to break down the status of the talks and more are amy walter of the "cook political report with amy walter." and tamara keith of npr. >> woodruff: hello to both of you. it is time for politics monday, amy and tam, welcome back. so, tam, let's start with where we think we are. i see you wincing already. we heard lisa reporting that they're back at it, and there has just been a report i think from cnn that senator sanders and senator manchin met today. they said afterwards to reporters they're going to keep meeting, keep talking. but at this point, how worried ould president biden be? >> tamara: and i think you've asked that question maybe three weeks ago -- >> woodruff: sorry about that. so sorry. >> tamara: i think that there is, from outside, certainly a perception there is not a lot of mo

richard haas has known him since the carter administration.is now president of the council on foreign leader -- relations. michael is a longtime reporter on the dense department. he is now a reporter for the "wall street journal." welcome to both of you. as we said, you knew collin powell going back to the 1970's. what made him so successful? >> he began with a tremendous advantage, which was extraordinary intelligence. he would spend time every day absorbing information, integrating it with the information he already had. on top of that, he had people skills that most of us could only dream of. when he worked at the pentagon, he would reach out to dozens of people regularly because he had something to say, but because he didn't. it was his way of making sure these relationships were good. he worked the sysm better than anybody else. judy: worked the system, and michael gordon, he was the first black man to serve as chairman of the joint chiefs, secretary of state. what was it about his approach to the military? how did you see him from that p

let's bring in richard haas, a man who worked in administrations with general powell. ok, it's hard because it's so personal for me. he was also a close friend for more than four decades. we first worked together in 1979 at the pentagon in the carter administration. we obviously worked closely during the reagan, bush, and bush years. we had a lot of life together. everything you and john have said is true. what's so interesting, i think, important is he was one of the most int lekly honest people i ever made. he was open-minded. when he constantly did was processed information. he'd wake up in the morning, go on a western website, speak to certain friends, and he was constantly adjusting his take on things, his world view. he was in some ways the most practical man. to understand him, i always thought the key, and i saw it, he'd spend his spare time when he was younger putting together a volkswagen. he'd be out by the side of his house up at the base, and there was something about it that was practical, mechanical. it was physical. you could see the results. he wasn't s

joining us now, richard haas.est article is "the age of america first" and peter baker cheer correspondent for the "new york times." meeting with macron for maybe 30 or 40 minutes today. no photo opportunity, no official photographers, so the french are trying to down play the significance of the meeting which is probably the at least they could have done to try to repair the relationship going forward? >> yeah, that's right. the issue for the french is domestic and foreign. the french outrage, as legitimate as it may or may not have been. the domestic costs of looking weak would be tie high. so advertising is not too high, but it is for his foreign policy interesting. there is an intense interest in secretary blinken to repair behind the scenes, we're going to say look, we're still going to work together. i think you're seeing the french, if you will, try to get something out of this. they are advertising or con seizing in front of the cameras. >> richard, they say this brutal unilateral. that is the biden admini

richard haas, i wish we had more time, but it's great to get your expertise.iate it. we'll be back tomorrow with more "meet the press daily." this newscast will continue this very moment with my friend jeff bennett. >> it is great to be with you. i am jeff bennett. you're looking live at the white house where behind closed doors, president biden is holding court with progressive house democrats. it's part of a whirlwind push to break the stalemate and put his build back better plan finally on the path to becoming law. first was kyrsten sinema. you see her entering her private office. the other democratic senator is requiring major cuts, senator joe manchin. manchin has put the kibosh on the president's initiatives to combat climate change. democrats floated an alternative over the weekend. but faster than you can say

dialogue in my question to all of our witnesses we will have our first one coming up next month and richard haasng one of the articles that he written to that and discuss it i send all the invitations to my colleagues on the panel and i know dean does on the committee, my question to all of you would you consider joining us as a guest speaker on whatever future journal clubs? >> i would be honored. >> thank you for that, the goal is dialogue, first to have an effective strategy of the nation we have to agree on some stuff and talk about what we do not agree on and then maybe we won't wind up like we have the last 20 years with a new strategy every year. do i have any time left? >> thank you, mr. chairman. [inaudible] >> i don't of you can understand that you broke up. >> i'll ask you again, real quickly how is the prc and pakistan going to change and how is the prc relationship going to change under the new reality? . . . >> they are fighting with each other. >> very quickly maybe the question will be out there and you can get back with me off-line and i suggest that northwest india as a vocatio