Obama’s advice to Walker: ‘Bone up on foreign policy’

President Obama has sharp words for Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) over the 2016 White House hopeful’s criticism of the multilateral deal on Iran’s nuclear program, telling him to “bone up” on foreign policy. 

“And, you know, I am confident that any president who gets elected will be knowledgeable enough about foreign policy and knowledgeable enough about the traditions and precedents of presidential power that they won’t start calling to question the capacity of the executive branch of the United States to enter into agreements with other countries,” Obama said Monday during an interview with NPR News.

“It would be a foolish approach to take, and, you know, perhaps Mr. Walker, after he’s taken some time to bone up on foreign policy, will feel the same way.”

Walker said last week that he would axe the deal on his first day in office, even if the U.S.’s European allies still supported it.

On Tuesday, the Wisconsin governor questioned the president’s judgment on foreign policy.

“President Obama’s failed leadership has put him at odds with many across the country, including members of his own party, and key allies around the world,” Walker said in a statement.

“Americans would be better served by a president who spent more time working with governors and members of Congress rather than attacking them,” he added.

Obama has been making the case for the Iran deal since international negotiators announced a framework Thursday. The deal would lift international sanctions on Iran in exchange for a drawdown of the country’s nuclear program, including scaling down uranium enrichment and expanding the breakout time that Iran needs to develop a weapon.

Nuclear experts estimate Iran would be just a few months away from developing a bomb. The deal would extend that time to at least one year for the next decade. The president called that restriction an important piece of the plan but admitted the breakout period could disintegrate after those terms expire.

“What is a more relevant fear would be that in year 13, 14, 15, they have advanced centrifuges that enrich uranium fairly rapidly, and at that point, the breakout times would have shrunk almost down to zero,” he said.

But he added that the deal’s expansive monitoring would allow unprecedented access to Iran’s nuclear program and that future presidents will still be able to “take action” if Tehran bucks its responsibilities under the agreement.

— This report was updated at 10:38 a.m.