The making of Scott Walker, statesman [here come the long knives]

Washington Post ^ | Philip Rucker and Robert Costa

[Cincinatus' Wife]

On a recent Monday at Washington’s Willard InterContinental Hotel, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was schooled on the world by some of the GOP’s leading foreign-policy lights. In a two-hour tutorial, seated around a table in the Taft Room sipping sodas and coffee, they used detailed regional maps to lead the likely presidential candidate on a tour of the globe’s hot spots: Israel and the Middle East, Latin America, Russia and Ukraine.​

The reason for Walker’s crash course was urgent: He has not impressed many leading Republicans with his grasp of foreign affairs. He drew mockery from members of both parties last month for refusing to talk about foreign policy on a trip to London and then for comparing his experience battling labor protesters to taking on Islamic State terrorists.

In contrast to the compelling and confident way Walker talks about his Wisconsin record, he has been shaky on foreign policy. He has traveled only rarely overseas and showed little interest in world politics in college or as governor. Policy experts and donors who have met with him privately said he lacks depth of knowledge about the international scene and speaks mostly in generalities. At a Club for Growth meeting last weekend, one major donor publicly portrayed Walker as “not prepared” to talk about global issues.....

Walker hired Michael J. Gallagher, 31, an former Marine captain and Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffer, as his foreign-policy aide. Gallagher has moved to Madison and began work this week.

Gallagher is little known outside of Capitol Hill. The Green Bay, Wis., native is still a PhD student at Georgetown University. “He just sent me some draft chapters for his thesis,” professor Andrew Bennett, Gallagher’s adviser, said this week......

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I believe this is your candidate Newbie.

[WIBamian]

I now want to share my perspective as a Conservative voter with the many other tens of thousands of other Freepers that do likewise on a daily basis.

Over the years, I have seen your name prominently featured on posts and comments. Are you a forum moderator?

[WIBamian]

Even if I had a terminal illness, and Jeb Bush had the cure, I would not vote for him.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

What is your opinion of Rush Limbaugh’s advocacy for Scott Walker?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I don’t believe you.

[WIBamian]

It is rather obvious that your definition of what makes a Conservative conservative differs from mine.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I am not a moderator. Never have been.

[onyx]

Are you a forum moderator?

LOL

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I know.

I chuckled.

: ) : )

I’m laughing now ~~

[onyx]

I LIKE THAT IDEA!

[Yosemitest]

I like TED CRUZ.
I haven't heard it.
CRUZ or LOSE.

[WIBamian]

I don't believe you mean that.

I think you abhor me challenging the alledgely 'presumptive' presidential nominee, Scott Walker, and thus, are trying to create an ad hominem attack on me to discredit me personally, in order to appeal to a lynch mob mentality among Scott Walker supporters, whom accept his conservative failings and shortcomings without engaging in a rigorous process of candidate vetting, that any dissent about their favored candidate must be met with fierce resistance.

Hopefully, you will just admit this honestly and we can go about our business challenging political candidates we disagree with.

(And seriously, me like Jeb Bush? Now that is personally insulting...makes my skin crawl with utter revulsion)

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I think you’re a Bush supporter.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I know. : )

[WIBamian]

OK, I’ll bite. What makes you think I am a RINO Bush supporter? Do tell.

[WIBamian]

I am Breitbart. I challenge the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Estates when they act as immune-to-questioning, authority figures on issues that are important to me.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

On 2nd thought, you could be a Hillary supporter.

[Yosemitest]

Ted Cruz is Terrific

RUSH:... Cruz doesn't back down from it.
He's not trying to please the journalist.
He's not trying to curry favor with the journalist.
He is articulating a truth, rationally and factually.
At some point that has to carry the day.
One more. Again, John Roberts,
"You wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post the other day that,
no, you need to retrench conservative values and develop opportunity conservatism to try to help people live the American Dream.
Is that really the right way to go when you look at changing demographics in the country?"
Senator, do you really think that that's what to do, talk about opportunity conservatism and helping people live the American dream,
do you really think that makes sense?
Here's what Cruz said.

CRUZ: It's EXACTLY the right way to go.
The reason I am a conservative is
because conservative policies work,
and they improve opportunity.
They are the avenue for climbing the economic dream,
and what I've been talking about for many years is opportunity conservatism,
that every policy should focus like a laser on easing the means of ascent up the economic ladder;
that they should be championing "the 47%," to take that now infamous comment.
Look, the great thing about Americans is
Americans don't want to be dependent on government.
Dependency saps the spirit.
It doesn't work.
Americans want to stand on their own two feet
and the best way to do that is have policies that allow entrepreneurs and small businesses to thrive and to create jobs and advance the American dream.
...

[WIBamian]

Please stop. My Ping List is tainted with fugly liberals. (shudder)

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I like Ted Cruz too.

But I think Rush thinks 2016 is Scott Walker’s year.

So do I.