A fantastic “closing argument” from Mitt Romney in Wisconsin, as he delivers one of the best speeches of his political career, and perhaps one of the best cases a challenger has ever made against an incumbent president. Romney is not shy about laying out the reasons to vote against Barack Obama, but he’s never been better at giving Americans something to vote for.

Some highlights from Romney’s speech:

“We ask you to look beyond the speeches and the attacks and the ads. Look to the record, the accomplishments and failures, and the judgment. Words are cheap. A record is real and earned with effort. Change cannot be measured in speeches; it is measured in achievements. Four years ago, candidate Obama promised to do so very much, but he has fallen so very short. He promised to be a �??post-partisan president” but he became the most partisan – blaming, attacking, dividing.”

“How is it that he has fallen so short of what he promised? In part, it is because he has never led, never worked across the aisle, never truly understood how jobs are created in the economy. And today, he makes new promises, promises he will be unable to keep, because he admits that he will stay on the same path. The same course we have been on will not lead to a better destination. The same path means $20 trillion in debt, crippling unemployment, stagnant take-home pay, depressed home values, and a devastated military. And unless we change course, we may be looking at another recession.”

“Accomplishing real change is not something I just talk about – it is something I have done. And it is what will do when I am President of the United States. If you believe we can do better, if you believe America should be on a better course, if you are tired of being tired, then I ask you to vote for real change. Paul Ryan and I will bring real change to America, from Day One.

“When I am elected, the economy and American jobs will still be stagnant. I won’t waste any time complaining about my predecessor. I won’t spend my effort trying to pass partisan legislation unrelated to economic growth. From Day One, I will go to work to help Americans get back to work.”

“We have almost forgotten what a real recovery looks like – what Americans can achieve when we limit government instead of limiting the dreams of our fellow Americans.”

“You know that if the President is re-elected, he will continue to promote government and demote business. He chose his own jobs council, made up of business leaders. And he hasn’t met with them in 9 months. 9 months! I like business, I don’t see it as a necessary evil. I see it as a means for people to fulfill their dreams. Yesterday, I met Rhoda Elliott. She has been running her family restaurants for years, a business that has been in her family for 82 years. At its high point, she employed 200 people. She just closed it down telling me that regulations, taxes and the effects of the Obama economy put her out of business. She teared up – this wasn’t about money, this was about a future for her family and for her family of employees. I want to help the hundreds of thousands of dreamers like Rhoda. And I will.”

“When I am president, I will be a voice of the children and their parents. There is no union for the PTA. I will give parents the information they need to know if their school is failing, and the choice they need to pick the school where their child can succeed.”

“If there is anyone worried the last four years are the best we can do, if there is anyone who fears that the American dream is fading away, if there is anyone who wonders whether better jobs and better paychecks are things of the past, I have a clear and unequivocal message: with the right leadership, America will come roaring back. We are Americans. We can do anything. The only thing that stands between us and some of the best years we have known is lack of leadership. And that’s why we have elections.”

“You saw the differences when President Obama and I were side-by-side in our debates. He says it has to be this way. I say it can’t stay this way. He’s offering excuses, I’ve got a plan. He’s hoping we’ll settle. I can’t wait for us to get started. Americans don’t settle. We build, we aspire, we listen to that voice inside that says, ‘We can do better.’ A better job; a better life for our kids; a bigger, better country. That better life is out there, waiting for us. Our destiny is in your hands.”