While on a “trade mission” to London, Scott Walker chose to say nothing publicly about foreign policy:

But in a long question-and-answer session hosted by Chatham House, an international affairs think tank, foreign policy was a topic that Mr. Walker considered off-limits.

“Per being old-fashioned and having respect for the president, I just don’t think you talk about foreign policy when being a guest on foreign soil,” Mr. Walker said, repeatedly, noting that he was on a trade mission.

As excuses go, Walker came up with a good one to avoid having to talk about issues that he is clearly not prepared to discuss at any length. Rather than simply duck questions because he was unprepared (and after his performance earlier this month we can assume he is unprepared), he turned his lack of readiness into a virtue by presenting it as a refusal to criticize government policy while overseas. It is doubtful that Walker would have had anything worthwhile to say on the issues of the day, so it is probably for the best that he decided to withhold comment while in Britain. This way Walker’s hosts in Britain aren’t scandalized by some ridiculous statement from the clueless governor, he doesn’t make himself a target of ridicule, and his admirers back home don’t have to make excuses for why he isn’t ready to be president.

I admit that it is a little odd to go on a foreign trip for the obvious purpose of bolstering one’s foreign policy credentials while refusing to talk publicly about the relevant issues, but all in all Walker is wise to say as little as possible when it seems plain that he doesn’t know anything about foreign policy. The best result would have been that he said something anodyne and uninteresting that no one would notice, and the worst would be that he said something embarrassing or provocative that could be used against him later. If Walker can come away from his trip overseas without becoming a laughingstock, he’ll already be way ahead of many former and current Republican candidates.