By Dave Begel Contributing Writer Published Mar 27, 2014 at 5:06 AM

These are heady times for our governor, the coy Scott Walker who is going to be lumped with some real luminaries as the gamble for the presidency takes shape in, of all places, Las Vegas.

The Washington Post reported this week that Walker is one of four high-profile presidential hopefuls invited to meet with and speak with billionaire Sheldon Adelson, the wannabe king maker sand casino magnate.

Walker will join two other governors, Chris Christie of New Jersey and John Kasich of Ohio, along with Jeb Bush, at the Republican Jewish Coalition conference and all four will speak. But the real deal is what the Post quoted several sources as calling the "Sheldon Primary."

Adelson and his wife personally kept Newt Gingrich’s campaign alive during the last presidential primary campaign. He has the ability to team with the infamous Koch brothers to create a bankroll that is hard for any Democrat to match.

Pardon me if I shake my head a little bit over this idea of President Scott Walker delivering an inauguration speech a month after the election on Nov. 8, 2016.

I’ve known Scott Walker since his days as a kid representative in the Wisconsin Assembly. He learned the value of visibility early. No matter what the national story of the day was, Walker always made himself available to television newsrooms for a comment. And television stations, always looking for the easy way out, took advantage. There were week that Walker was on television more than the weather guys.

Walker is a great, great campaigner. This meeting with Adelson may is certainly a step toward the presidency, but the biggest thing Walker needs is a huge win eight months from now when Wisconsin has a gubernatorial election.

So far he’s being challenged only by Mary Burke, a Trek bicycle heir and a Democrat who is saying all the right things, but whose campaign just doesn’t seem to be catching fire. Walker wants to get somewhere between 50 and 65 percent of the vote to prove how popular he is.

Walker’s ultra-conservative beliefs also make him a huge favorite with the Tea Party that’s coming close to dominating the Republican party. The Tea Party dumped Christie after he said nice things about President Obama. The thinking goes that in order to win, Republicans need to take a position on the right edge of the ledge in order to have firm positions. Republicans think trying to move to the middle (see Mitt Romney) is a sure ticket to losing. Purity is the Republican word of the day.

Walker fills that bill. He has always thought his way was the only way and he’s had legislative support to back him up. His record for getting the things done that he wants to get done is impressive.

But President of the United States?

The president needs to be a lot of things. He’s got to be smart. He needs to be willing to work with both parties. He needs to have some gravitas.

Think of Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan or even the first George Bush. They had some stature. Except in the most unusual circumstances Americans want to vote for someone who looks like a president.

Scott Walker looks like a boy scout who can’t figure out how to pitch his tent.

But I guess this quest is going to continue. If he can persuade people like Adelson and the Koch brothers that he’s the true Republican, he may well end up as the Republican presidential nominee.

The mind boggles at the thought.

Dave Begel Contributing Writer

With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.

He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.

This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.

Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.