Scott Walker was down in South Carolina last week to give a major speech on foreign policy, an area in which his credentials have been questioned. To be fair, this is nothing new. After all, what governor can claim any real meaningful expertise when it comes to foreign relations?

Ok, besides Sarah Palin and that view of Russia from her front porch. Or G.W. Bush with all that Mexico right next door.

Anyway, while Walker’s speech before an audience of cadets at the Citadel (all members of the military academy’s Republican Society, by the way) was a little light on actual policy specifics, he did deploy the rhetorical heavy artillery:

As president, I will send the following message: The retreat is over. American leadership is back. American leadership is back and, together with our allies, we will not surrender another inch of ground to terrorists or any other power that threatens our safety.

America will not be intimidated. And neither will I.

He continued:

Are we safer now than we were seven years ago? Anyone who believes the answer to that question is yes should vote for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Sadly, I believe the answer is no, America is not safer. Since Secretary Clinton took charge of our nation’s diplomacy, we’ve abandoned American leadership in the world, forgotten that America is an exceptional country, and lost faith in America’s ability to influence world events.

Stirring words for sure. But it turns out that the version of the speech that Walker, famous for speaking without the aid of a teleprompter, delivered was very different from the prepared draft of his remarks. As luck would have it, I came across the original text.

So, in the interests of no-retreat, won’t-be-intimidated, world-influencing, exceptional leadership, I want to share with you the original. Conveniently set to music …