Gov. Scott Walker Stands with Rand (With Reservations)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is heading to CPAC this weekend, but made a phone stop by the Andrea Tantaros Show first. Tantaros asked Walker what he thought of last week’s filibuster by Sen. Rand Paul, and Sens. John McCain’s and Lindsey Graham’s counters to Paul.

“What did you think of the Rand Paul filibuster?” Tantaros asked.

“The president and his administration put them in the position to have that in the first place,” Walker responded. “If they just had simply answered the question there wouldn’t have been any need or a focus on that. Clearly there’s some legitimate national security about [the drone program and its possible use on US soil] but, more than anything, it just shows the condescending attitude we often hear out of this administration.”

Walker praised Paul for being willing to stand up to the president and hold him accountable. “That’s where, more than anything, you got the broad appeal for the filibuster.”

Tantaros asked Walker whether he thought it was wrong for McCain and Graham to criticize Paul.

“Yeah, I question that,” he said. “Again, I understand some of the concerns they raised. But why bring it up there? In the end, what the filibuster produced was the attorney general, the administration having to come out and answer and clarify exactly what they meant. Why there had to be a debate within the debate on that just seemed to be a little bit odd in that regard.” Walker added that Paul’s filibuster was aimed more at holding the Obama administration accountable for its habit of acting unilaterally than the details of the filibuster itself. He called Paul’s filibuster “good old-fashioned grassroots populism.”

Tantaros turned to the subject of Rep. Paul Ryan, his budget, and his presidential aspirations. Walker and Ryan have been friends for years, he said, and was an early advocate for Ryan being placed on the GOP presidential ticket last year.

“Paul’s not driven by ambition,” Walker said. “Paul Ryan doesn’t want to be somebody great, he wants to do something great. And so the budget he put on the table again this week is not driven by some future election or future campaign. It is really what he believes deep within his heart and thinks needs to happen. And he believes that both political parties are obligated to put big, bold ideas on the table to balance the budget and get our economy back on track. And that’s the kind of leadership we need.” Walker described himself as the “President of the Paul Ryan Fan Club.”

Listen to the entire interview here.