The Washington Post surveys the prospects of Gov. Scott Walker for becoming … all together now … President Walker:

If Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) runs for president in 2016, his theme will likely be some version of this: “No” is not enough for the GOP.

“You don’t just sit back and nick the other side — you’ve got to lay out a plan,” Walker said Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

Walker added: “As governors, as state leaders, we’re more optimistic than our friends in Washington. We’re not just against something. We’re laying out a plan. We’re laying out a vision.”

Walker is rejecting two things. One is Washington, which is not surprising at all, considering how unpopular Congress is right now and how unpopular the Democratic-controlled White House is to the Republican primary voters whom Walker wants to win over.

Secondly — and more notably — Walker is pleading for a Republican Party that stands for something.

Consider that House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) recently told CBS News, “We should not be judged by how many new laws we create,” but rather: “We ought to be judged on how many laws we repeal. We’ve got more laws than the administration could ever enforce.”

Walker seems to be saying the Republican resume needs to read more than that. For his part, Walker, who had the benefit of having a GOP legislature when he entered office, signed a law that curbed collective bargaining for public employees. That act would probably be a big asset in a Republican primary. If he runs, look for it to be a centerpiece of his pitch.

Walker illuminates the difference between governors running for president and those from Washington running for president. Governors — Walker, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan — are executives. They have to get things done. That makes governors more pragmatic than those who run from the congressional branch. Congressmen and senators — Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Al Gore — can vote for or against or present. Nothing about Congress, other than being in leadership, has anything to do with being president.