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A profile of Scott Walker...
Scott Walker, a two-term governor of Wisconsin, is a 2016 Republican presidential nominee. He has been described as "an evangelical Christian with a record of taking on labor unions and winning elections as governor of a Democratic-leaning state."[1]
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Neoconservative Connections
Many observers have pointed to Walker's weak foreign policy experience. In response, according to the Washington Post, Walker has tried to "to swiftly gain a fluency with foreign leaders, geography and history; recruit a coterie of national security advisers; and articulate a comprehensive foreign policy to help voters see him as commander-in-chief material."[6]
Walker has sought advice from a cohort of neoconservatives and other foreign policy hardliners, including former Mitt Romney advisor John Lehman, former Blackwater adviser General Jack Keane, former Dick Cheney advisor Eric Edelman, and former George W. Bush deputy national security adviser Marc Thiessen.[7] Walker and Thiessen co-authored the 2013 book Unintimidated, which detailed the purported "lessons conservatives on the national stage" could learn from Walker's experiences as governor.[8]
Jim Talent, a former Senator known for his neoconservative views and a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, has been tasked with forming Walker's national security advisory council. In March 2015, it was announced that Walker's national security adviser would be Mike Gallagher, a relatively unknown figure who has worked out of the office of hawkish Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker.[9] Another Walker aid, Asia specialist Reagan Thompson, previously worked for Sen. Kelly Ayotte.[10]
Former George W. Bush official and longtime neoconservative ideologue Richard Perle has also expressed support for Walker. "Of all the people identified as candidates, Walker strikes me as the most interesting, who potentially would bring some rare qualities to the presidency," Perle said in February 2015.[11]
Walker also participated in the American Enterprise Institute's 2015 summit at Sea Island, Georgia, where he reportedly had "four sit-downs with foreign-policy scholars."[12]
Foreign Policy Views
According to Politico, Walker is "staking out a position as one of the most hawkish candidates in the crowded GOP field."[13]
Walker claims that Ronald Reagan was "one of the best presidents when it comes to foreign policy" and Barack Obama "one of the worst."[14] He once argued that "the most significant foreign policy decision" of his lifetime was President Reagan's decision to fire air traffic controllers who had gone on strike in 1981.[15] One observer quipped: "If he considers the firing of air-traffic controllers 'the most significant foreign policy decision' of the last 47 years, it's not unreasonable to wonder how, exactly, Walker defines 'foreign policy.'"[16]
Walker has also said that his experience dealing with protestors in Wisconsin, most of whom were teachers and union members, has prepared him to take on foreign policy challenges. "If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world," he said in February 2015 in response to a question about how he would deal with ISIS.[17]
Walker has argued that the United States needs to have a "strong presence" in the Middle East.[18] He has stated that he would not rule out U.S. "boots on the ground" in the fight against ISIS and has said he would "repudiate" the July 2015 nuclear agreement reached between Iran and six world powers including the United States.[19]
"We need to terminate the bad deal with Iran on Day One, put in place crippling sanctions, and convince our allies to do the same," Walker proclaimed after the Iran nuclear deal was announced.[20]
Quipped one observer: "But if a President Walker were to actually scrap the nuclear deal on 'Day One,' and seek to impose ever-tougher sanctions, here's what would likely happen. Our European and Asian allies—exasperated with Uncle Sam's feckless policy switch, and determined to preserve their economic ties to Iran (which they view as a promising trading partner)—would refuse to reimpose their own sanctions. Britain's ambassador to America stated two months ago that the international sanctions have already reached 'the high-water mark,' and that if diplomacy fails, we would see 'sanctions erosion.' Germany's ambassador has similarly warned that, absent a nuke deal, 'the sanctions regime might unravel.'[21]
Walker has argued that Iran, along with ISIS and al-Qaeda, should be "eradicated." He said in a March 2015 interview with right-wing radio broadcaster Hugh Hewitt: "When you have, not only with ISIS and al Qaeda, but you have an Iran, you have other places around the world groups that that want to not only annihilate Israel, but annihilate us in America, it's like a virus. You've got to eradicate it. You can't take out part of it, or it will come back."[22]
According to an Atlantic contributor, Walker "believes that the safety of Americans is directly proportional to our willingness to intervene militarily in Middle Eastern countries."[23]
Walker also strongly supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial March 2015 speech to Congress criticizing President Obama's nuclear negotiations with Iran. "We should listen closely as he [Netanyahu] raises legitimate concerns about Iran—giving him and his country the respect worthy of a close ally," he wrote in an op-ed for the conservative National Review at the time.[24]
In May 2015, Walker made a trip to Israel that was partially funded by the Sheldon Adelson-backed Republican Jewish Coalition. After returning from Israel Walker opined: "[T]his trip only confirmed my belief that the current administration is not giving Israel the support it needs."[25]
Walker has also declared his opposition to the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "[W]hen people bring up a two-state solution, and I've said as well after being there, certainly it's not the time for that now. They need defensible and secure borders and they're a long way off from having that happen," he said on Sean Hannity's radio program shortly after his return from Israel.[26]
Regarding Russia and the Ukraine, Walker has argued that the United States should be "willing to potentially even put troops on the ground on the border of the Baltic states, as well as sending potential lethal-force assistance into Ukraine, to make sure that Putin understands there's going to be consequences if they go further."[27]
Connections to Powerful Donors
According to the New York Times, Walker has "far stronger ties to the party's biggest fund-raisers" than any other candidate in the 2016 race other than Jeb Bush. "Roughly half of the nation's top 250 Republican donors have given money to Mr. Walker in his campaigns for Wisconsin governor," the Times reported. The Times also reported that Sheldon Adelson was among the donors who supported Walker's gubernatorial campaigns.[28]
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More: http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/walker_scott
