Chris Christie slams Obama as a 'weakling' on foreign policy

In a wide-ranging interview with President Obama on CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday, host Steve Kroft suggested that with Russia's military activity in Syria, President Vladimir Putin is "challenging [Obama's] leadership." Obama disputed that notion, arguing that force isn't the only way to lead and that Putin's tactics, which the U.S. opposes, aren't "an indication of strength."

Obama's stance on force is often criticized by Republicans who believe the president doesn't do enough to settle conflicts abroad.

"He thinks that if you do nothing, you can't get in trouble," Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) said Monday on MSNBC's Morning Joe.

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As president, Christie said he'd take a more aggressive approach to getting Putin out of Syria.

"If you think that running your economy into the ground and having to send troops in, in order to prop up your only ally, is leadership, then we've got a different definition of leadership," he said, adding that Obama is a "weakling" who is "punching above his weight" with Putin.

Obama wasn't the only person Christie called out Monday. The governor, a huge Mets fan, had a bone to pick with Chase Utley's slide Saturday: "He's a dog. He tackled the guy."

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.