Scott Walker Rejects “Passive” Foreign Policy Approach

Scott Walker Rejects “Passive” Foreign Policy Approach

Today Wisconsin Governor and presidential hopeful Scott Walker offered his comprehensive vision for what foreign policy, military policy, and diplomacy would look like under the Walker Administration.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

In his first foreign policy speech, presidential candidate and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Friday called for increasing military spending, securing the Mexican border, boosting surveillance programs and establishing a no-fly zone in Syria to help overthrow Bashar Assad’s authoritarian regime.

“As president, I will send the following message: The retreat is over,” Walker told cadets at the Citadel military college in Charleston, S.C. “American leadership is back. American leadership is back and, together with our allies, we will not surrender another inch of ground to terrorists or any other power that threatens our safety.

“America will not be intimidated. And neither will I.”

The GOP governor sought in his speech to put new substance and momentum behind his stalled campaign. Once soaring in Iowa and elsewhere, he has suffered in the polls in recent weeks as reality television star and real estate mogul Donald Trump’s campaign has shot skyward.

His campaign may be stalled, but his apparent commitment to putting out a cohesive vision on foreign policy hasn’t suffered. “We can no longer afford to be passive spectators while the world descends into chaos,” stated Walker, in a speech that reflected on the troubled policies of the Obama administration, and labeled Islamic terrorists as “agents of pure evil.”

Early on, Walker seized the opportunity to hit Hillary Clinton over her tarnished record as Secretary of State, making a point to highlight her failures in Benghazi:

“Hillary Clinton pushed for the war in Libya. Then, she stood by the caskets of Chris Stevens, Shawn Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty…she stood by their caskets, looked in the eyes of their parents, and pointed to a YouTube video she knew—she KNEW—that was not the cause of their deaths in Benghazi.

That is outrageous.

Today, Libya is officially a terrorist safe haven. You see, we continue to deal with these, and other disastrous consequences of her decisions as Secretary of State.

Every where in the world that Hillary Clinton has touched is worse off today than before she and the President took office.”

He went on to pledge a renewed alliance with Israel saying, “there should be no daylight between our countries,” and also promised not only to undo the controversial nuclear deal on day 1, but pursue sanctions to control an increasingly intransigent and dangerous Iran.

Overall, Walker did a fantastic job with this. He understands that, for all the talk floating around right now about immigration, this election could in part come down to who can present a persuasive foreign policy plan. (Arguably, you could include immigration in this, as Walker did; he highlighted the importance of border security in the context of the threat of Islamic terrorism.)

His platform takes initiative. “But when did America shrink from big challenges?” he posed to the crowd, who responded well to his remarks.

He’s got a long way to go if he wishes to maintain his status as a contender, but for now, it doesn’t appear as though Scott Walker is ready to back down.

You can watch the full speech here.

Featured image via the Walker campaign.

Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.