The Commander-in-Chief Test for Scott Walker and Rivals: Not Being Obama

In his first weeks as a presidential front-runner, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker sometimes said that he could take on the Islamic State because he'd been tough enough to take on unions. After some pushback and mockery, he dropped that line. Saturday morning, at the South Carolina Freedom Summit in Greenville, Walker adopted the pose of a concerned citizen, worried about terrorism coming home.

“As a governor, it's not something I deal with day in and day out, but it's increasingly becoming a focus because when I think about safety I think about my own children,” he said. “When I watch a Jordanian pilot being burned alive in a cage, when I see Christians from Egypt or elsewhere around the world shot or beheaded just because of their faith, that's something I feel right here.” He pointed to his chest. “That's something I feel in my heart.”