I have to say that I was largely unimpressed with the Obama plagiarism contretemps. It seemed like pretty small potatoes and another example of Clinton low-blowing. It’s not negative campaigning if you’re telling facts, but the approach is still distasteful. I continue to rationalize these nicks and jabs on the theory that whatever the Republicans will throw at Obama will be far worse, so it is better for him to become battle toughened now. And if he shows he has a thin skin or isn’t a strong enough fighter, maybe Hillary will wind up with the nomination. Then, I saw this analysis: Huff Po and I understood that Obama did not just share ideas with Deval Patrick, he took virtually his exact speech. Watch Patrick:
and Obama:
That lyrical retort you have seen all weekend about words counting was hardly original. Apparently, neither is the “Yes We Can” theme. Of course, this is not a Joe Biden situation. It’s not “plagiarism” if (as is apparently the case here) you use someone else’s words with their permission. But without attributing the language to the source, you do cast some shadow on your authenticity.
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