As the gentle reader is aware, Scott Walker was recently in New York for yet another fundraiser. Walker was there with Rudy Guliani, who did what he does best - putting his foot in his mouth by accusing President Barack Obama of not loving America.
When asked about it, Walker did what he does best - he punted. Walker tried to dodge the question by saying that Guliani can speak for himself, as could Obama.
On Friday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel again asked Walker about Guliani's idiotic comment and again, Walker punted:
Walker was asked if Giuliani crossed a line by saying – at a Walker reception in New York – that “I do not believe that the President loves America.”
Walker said, “no” to that question.
“I’ve said repeatedly that (Giuliani) can speak for himself. The president can defend that,” Walker said.
Asked, “Do you think the President loves America?” Walker said the following:
“I assume most people in this country love America. And to me I don’t think it’s worth getting into the battle over whether he does or he doesn’t. He can handle that himself. I know I do. And I know there are great people in this country who love this country and who ... feel this country’s exceptional and it doesn’t necessarily align by party. I think there are Republicans and Democrats and plenty of people in between. I’ve never asked the President so I don’t really know what his opinions are on that one way or another.”
The editorial board at the Washinton Post has had enough of Walker's wishy-washiness and called him out on it:
Mr. Giuliani has dived off the deep end before, so there was nothing all that surprising in his latest poison. But as Post columnist Dana Milbank points out, his remarks presented an early test of character for Mr. Walker, and Mr. Walker failed spectacularly. At the dinner, the governor said nothing. Even the next morning, having had a night to ponder, Mr. Walker chose not to lift himself out of the Giuliani sewer. “The mayor can speak for himself. I’m not going to comment on what the president thinks or not. He can speak for himself as well,” Mr. Walker said on CNBC. “I’ll tell you, I love America, and I think there are plenty of people — Democrat, Republican, independent, everyone in between — who love this country.”
Mr. Walker likes to present himself as a man of courage, based on his record in Wisconsin, but maybe facing down public-sector unions doesn’t tell you all that much about the bravery of a Republican governor. On two occasions in recent days, he has proved himself incapable of saying basic truths that might offend some of his potential voters: First, that evolution is real, and second, that an honorable politician criticizes his opponent’s policies, not his patriotism. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) showed his understanding of that principle Friday when he said, “I believe the president loves America. His ideas are bad.”
Any reader of this page knows that we find plenty to criticize in Mr. Obama’s foreign policy. But the questions about his patriotism that emerge from a venomous stew of racism, xenophobia and echo-chamber cable television chatter are ludicrous and say a great deal more about the critics than about the object of their criticism. It was particularly pathetic to see Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), another would-be president, scrambling to steal some of the spotlight of Mr. Walker’s cowardice by issuing a statement titled, “Gov. Jindal Refuses to Condemn Mayor Giuliani.” The only response to that can be, who cares?
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Walker has to maintain the facade of being an intelligent, respectable person with leadership skills for a long time. That is something he is simply incapable of doing.
