- Did we have the wrong guy the last four years?

Isn't this the way the deal-making is supposed to go?

- Well, look, whatever else you might say about Joe Biden, you got to admit the guy's been around Washington a long time and he understands how the sausage is made.

And when you think back, Joe, it was February 1st that Biden had that meeting in the White House with those Republican senators.

Remember, Mitt Romney et al., and this was a big show of the reaching across the aisle for bipartisanship?

Well, as it turns out, there is no bipartisanship on this.

They might wind up picking off one Republican on this, probably not.

That's just the nature of the beast in DC these days.

But in the intervening month, what did Biden do with regard to getting this bill through?

Basically nothing publicly.

No tweeting, no posturing, no blustering.

He sat back.

He allowed time for polling support for the bill to build to the point where it's getting huge support in just about every public poll.

He forced the Republicans to show their hand, which turns out to be pretty lame and involves slamming the bill as loaded with a liberal wishlist.

And he also found out exactly where he stands with the few moderate Democrats, like Joe Manchin, who might've been wobbly on the bill.

Add water, stir.

And on the eve of the vote in the Senate with the deadline for the expiration of certain benefits looming, he shaves 15 to 20 billion off of the $1.9 trillion price tag, nails down the Senate democratic moderates.

That's the art of the deal, not the clown show we saw over the last four years.