Obama says he should have credited Patrick

Now watch how the press bends over backwards not to give Obama the same teatment that they did to Biden.

And while Sen. Biden is over in Pakistan working to ensure there are fair and open elections, Obama gets a pass for his first political run for office and using the tired old gotcha politics of Chicago that knocked all his opponents off the Ballot.

A Plagiarist as well as a hypocrite for not being the agent of change he claims to be. Nice choice.

Lets hope Democrats wake up and have more than a little buyers remorse. This man has done little except master how to deliver a speech - and the words aren't even his own.

Did McCain give back the money raised and contributed by that campaign volunteer who attacked that IL college yet? I think it should be donated to an anti-violence group.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

The Clintons are just like Republicans, they will say or do anything to "win".

Hillary's campaign is making an issue of this. She has never borrowed any language or ideas from any other politician, I'm sure. This is just another example of her campaign's desperation. Is this how she is planning on leading our nation on DAY ONE?

My first choice for the Democratic Party nominee, Bill Richardson, dropped out of the race. So, I have had to reconsider the options.

While many people see Barack Obama as the fresh face for change in politics. I live in Illinois and have been involved with anti-Daley, reform politics. I don’t see Obama as a reformer.

He supports the crooked and corrupt mayor Daley even when he does not have too. Daley did not support Obama in his primary campaign to be the democratic candidate for US Senate from Illinois. Daley backed another candidated.

I had an “aha” moment the morning after Iowa. I finally understood the connection between Barack (or Barry as he was called in school) and Richie. I got why Barry endorsed Richie for reelection when there were two African American candidates running against Richie each of whom had credentials to be Mayor of Chicago at least as strong as Barry’s are to be President of the United States. Barry announced that Richie was fixing the corruption at city hall. So there was no need to elect an African American reformer as Mayor. And so Richie owes Barry a favor--help him become President. And so when Barry is President and the issue of the U. S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois comes up at a dinner between President Barry and Mayor Richie in a bistro to be named later Barry will return the favor by deciding Patrick Fitzgerald and his new bride won’t need to live in Chicago anymore. And all those pesky investigations of Barry and Richie’s mutual friends like Tony Rezko will go away.

And of course members of the Daley Machine and its campaign advisor types are marching quietly behind Obama unnoticed by Obama's media cheerleaders.

If Obama captiulated so easily to a domestic dictator does he really have the balls to be President.

What Obama did would not be considered plagiarism anyway. He repeated what someone said, not what someone wrote. We all repeat what people say all the time, including Senator Clinton who has done this with Barack's words. But the words Obama repeated were quotes from famous people like JFK and MLK which we all use -- "I have a Dream" speech and "Ask not what your country can do for you..." by JFK and "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" FDR. So where's the plagiarism? Is it when Obama said, 'words mean something' or something like that. It's funny because Hillary in her Wisconsin speech must have said the word, "dream" when referring to America and Americans 50 times, as she also used 'opportunity' and other 'Obama inspiration words'. Yet, she attacks him on his 'false hope' but now goes right behind him and speaks that same stuff.

Some almost critical coverage of Barak Obama? Oh no! This cannot be!

Check paul's post for relevancy please.

Obama is the next generation of slick willy. Nothings gonna stick to him.
Not that I'm a fan, but it is admirable that he immediately fessed up, I don't think most politicians have the guts to own their oversights/mistakes.

The Clinton manufactured speech flap is much more of a commentary on the desperation of Hilary's campaign failure than any substance from this latest case of gotcha. The nasty and meanspirited Penn and Wolfson cause me to think of Tonya Harding's braintrust before she went after Nancy's knees.

Finally, an admission! Anyone with half a brain should know never to vote for a plagiarist.

Chris:
You are right on the money!
"Obama gets a pass for his first political run for office and using the tired old gotcha politics of Chicago that knocked all his opponents off the Ballot."

"A Plagiarist as well as a hypocrite for not being the agent of change he claims to be. Nice choice."

HELLO!!!!! Wake up America!!

Senator Obama deserves this kind of examination of his words. Considering the months of coverage the Bush Administration got for lying over 900 times to start a war. Oh wait.

Finally, an admission! Anyone with half a brain should know never to vote for a plagiarist.

Posted by: Jeff | February 18, 2008 1:46 PM

Jeff, should I vote for a candidate that improperly intervened with federal regulators to help campaign donors instead?

Especially if that Candidate is himself a plagiarist?

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/mccain_mind_games_should_make.html

I just think that if you are only really known for one thing-inspiring speeches-and you have "borrowed" those-or portions thereof-then what really is left?
He has indicated in debates that he is lacking when it comes to policy.
Style v. substance-give me substance any time and always,especially in these times!!

What a nothing issue -- doesn't the press have anything better to cover in this campaign than cover a "flap" that isn't? Please, we are facing huge issues in this country and in this election; let's not worry about who used what line where. As someone who regularly does public speaking, I have used other colleague's lines from time to time as they have mine, and we don't worry about recognizing each other for attribution. This is just plain silly. Stop it!

Anyone with half a brain should know never to vote for a plagiarist.

Posted by: Jeff | February 18, 2008 1:46 PM

Sorry to hear of your loss!

Please stick to the issues folks! This is nothing more than fodder for the sheep.

John Kennedy's speeches, written by Ted Sorenson, were full of borrowed paraphrases, including the famous "Ask not what you can do for your country" from ancient Greece. M.L. King's speeches included borrowed phrases, such as "Let freedom ring..." In fact, finding the origin of many such quotes is very difficult. Perhaps a search of Bill and Hillary Clinton speeches is overdue. Maybe Hillary and Bill should concentrate on what's important in this election, such as definitive plans for the future of this country.

reminds me of Alfred E. Neuman's tag line "what me worry?"...except that Mr Obama's is "what me do wrong?"....he sounds more & more like Blago & Bill Clinton every day...nothing new about...same old song and dance.

hey this guy has not done anything for the state he was elected. anyone who tells any different is lying to you no bills passed but only HEY I DID SAY NO TO THE WAR if you elect this guy this country is going to go back 30 years not a racist just all he does is give a speach thats is all that will not fix nothing ask him what he did before he took office

This guy must nearly walk on water if borrowing the words of a friend is all the Clintons, with all their resources, can find to throw at him!

He's happy to give anyone credit- when he gets caught.

Ruthie, it doesn't matter if it was written or spoken. Ask Joe Biden. The idea behind plagiarism is stealing someone else's creative thought without giving them credit, not trivializing over whether the idea that is being stolen is written, oral or otherwise.

Notice how when Obama thinks he is in a corner, he starts throwing people under the bus. He accuses Deval of using his lines, then takes a shot out of left field at Clinton. And even if he is right and they have stolen lines too, does that justify or minimize his own accountability for doing it? Have some integrity, admit you made a mistake and move on. The media and your base have already forgiven you.

Hey look! A distraction.

It's so shiny.

"Borrowing words" implies that Patrick knew about it first. Nothing he's said since this story broke suggests that. You have to ask someone if you can borrow something from them. Otherwise it's stealing.

I can't believe the level to which you sheep will cover up for this guy. He's been caught redhanded and even he admits he "should have given credit."

All the erroneous attacks on McCain in this thread are simple diversionary tactics.

Ask yourself this: If you're giving a speech called "words matter" shouldn't those words at the very least be your own?

Finally, an admission! Anyone with half a brain should know never to vote for a plagiarist.

Posted by: Jeff | February 18, 2008 1:46 PM

College Republican,

Anyone with "half a brain should know NEVER to vote for a liar and a crook (McCain):

McCain, Founding Member of the Keating Five:

Back in the old days, defendants in famous trials got numbers -- the Chicago Eight, the Gang of Four, the Dave Clark Five, the Daytona 500. McCain was one of the "Keating Five," congressmen investigated on ethics charges for strenuously helping convicted racketeer Charles Keating after he gave them large campaign contributions and vacation trips.
Charles Keating was convicted of racketeering and fraud in both state and federal court after his Lincoln Savings & Loan collapsed, costing the taxpayers $3.4 billion. His convictions were overturned on technicalities; for example, the federal conviction was overturned because jurors had heard about his state conviction, and his state charges because Judge Lance Ito (yes, that judge) screwed up jury instructions. Neither court cleared him, and he faces new trials in both courts.)

Though he was not convicted of anything, McCain intervened on behalf of Charles Keating after Keating gave McCain at least $112,00 in contributions. In the mid-1980s, McCain made at least 9 trips on Keating's airplanes, and 3 of those were to Keating's luxurious retreat in the Bahamas. McCain's wife and father-in-law also were the largest investors (at $350,000) in a Keating shopping center; the Phoenix New Times called it a "sweetheart deal."

Full story:
http://www.realchange.org/mccain.htm

You really want this guy (McCain) with his finger on the button?, I don't"

Here's why McCain's fellow Republicans call him "Insane McCain":

"F--- you," he shouted at Texas Sen. John Cornyn last year.

"Only an a------ would put together a budget like this," he told the former Budget Committee chairman, Sen. Pete Domenici, in 1999.

"I'm calling you a f------ jerk!"

"F--- you. I know more about this than anyone else in the room," McCain reportedly shouted.

"I decided I didn't want this guy anywhere near a trigger," Domenici told Newsweek in 2000.

"Do I insult anybody or fly off the handle or anything like that? No, I don't," insisted McCain.

Full story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23201300/

KSAZ: McCain Temper Flairs Up Against GOP Senator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCAqm286eAM&eurl=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/16/23473/5584

Plagiarism is deliberately presenting another person's thoughts and language as one's own, and generally applies to written material. In journalism or other wrtiting, it indicates either poor scholarship or intended deception, because the author should be taking the time and effort to research and give proper attribution for others' work product. But in speaking, people frequently repeat a familiar phrase to convey an idea, or unwittingly utilize specific language they've heard from someone else. It sounds like that's what Obama did, and his opponents appear petty and feckless in attempting to portray it as a serious character flaw which would disqualify him from the presidency.

Who cares about the fact that Obama used someone else words. We all used someone else phrases to make a point.

If Hillaty and Bill are concerned about this, it simply proves that they are desperate.

Anyone with half a brain should know never to vote for a plagiarist.

God, she thinks she is back in college. In the real world you are supposed to leverage the best ideas from others.

Republicans lie, cheat, steal, have sex in airport bathrooms, start a war on false pretenses that killed 4000 Americans and 100K+ others and the comments here are about borrowing a few phrases?

Lets impeach, convict and execute Dumbya for being a traitor before we even consider who said these first.

Waitaminute, hasn't Hillary used Obama's words in the past? Quite frankly, this is a ridiculous and desprate ploy by Clinton & Co.

All the erroneous attacks on McCain in this thread are simple diversionary tactics.

Posted by: Jeff | February 18, 2008 2:28 PM

You deny that McCain said "Fired up and ready to go?" without attributing it to Obama?

Did he have Obama's permission in advance?

You deny that McCain was rebuked by the Senate for his action gavoring Charle Keating?

Where's the error Jff?

I am also from Illinois, Obama has done nothing for the state. I consider myself a democrat but would be forced to vote republican if he were a candidate in the election. It's time for everyone to wake up.When I see him on the tv, I just want to switch the channel.

More Hillary spin and contrived allegations. She rips off "Yes, we can" and "Fired up ready to go" and she has the audacity of accusing Barack of plagiarism.
, when he borrows his friends words with permission. Sorry sounds like a losing candidate!

Obama is fake. He is just been trying to hold on for a few months, but now his real personality is begining to show. Drug users and ex drug users usually have a hard time thinking so they memorize other peoples speaches. No Opromise for me@

Obama is "the real thing", and even those who now belittle him will come to appreciate him as a person who can affect positive and significant change in this country. I hope for an "Obama-Edwards" ticket.

Besides, Clinton at 60 years old does not have the energy or "clear-headedness" at her age that is required to be a truly effective President.

Whoops - I forgot to credit JEFF with my above comment.

What a freaking non-issue! Bill Clinton plagarized John Kennedy on national tv and no one cared. Of course, John Kenmneyd only made the statement to his wife, "I did not have sex with that woman."

Here are some details from the Massachusesetts mandatory health care program which Clinton wants to make national:
"What are the costs? Costs are determined by family size to be covered, age of adults to be covered and income level. A single person must pay the FULL COST of insurance premiums if their income is greater than $30,636. A couple must pay the FULL COST of insurance premiums if their income is greater than $41,076. A family, 1 couple with one child, must pay the FULL COST of insurance premiums if their income is greater than $51,516, and so on. Government assistance is provided to those making less than the stated income level within each family size mentioned above. To get more information on the assistance provided, you may go to www.mahealthconnector.org . This assistance may be changing soon, as indicated by this recent article in the Boston Globe. www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/15/health_plan_rates_may_rise_by_14/
Below is a table with premium costs PER MONTH of plans currently available within numerous categories:
Single making more---------------------Insufficient------------------Good---------------------
than $30,636/year--------Age----------Coverage-----------------Coverage------------------
---------------------------------30--------------$199.40--------------$347.69 - $473.42
---------------------------------40--------------$201.30--------------$396.00 - $577.00
---------------------------------50--------------$253.20--------------$441.50 - $826.06
---------------------------------60--------------$398.81--------------$695.39 - $946.83

Couple making more--------------------Insufficient------------------Good---------------------
than $41,076/year--------Age-----------Coverage-----------------Coverage------------------
---------------------------------30--------------$428.72--------------$747.54 - $1060.80
---------------------------------40--------------$579.84--------------$884.00 - $1252.29
---------------------------------50--------------$586.87--------------$942.00 - $1717.43
---------------------------------60--------------$857.43--------------$1144.00 - $1906.63
Family, 1 child more--------------------Insufficient------------------Good---------------------
than $51,516/year--------Age-----------Coverage-----------------Coverage------------------
---------------------------------30--------------$618.15--------------$1077.85 - $1572.00
---------------------------------40--------------$792.48--------------$1390.71 - $1673.67
---------------------------------50--------------$845.23--------------$1475.49 - $1915.00
---------------------------------60--------------$1139.53------------$1984.00 - $2415.07
About this table - The column titled "Insufficient Coverage" is the monthly premium for the cheapest plan available within all categories. The reason I titled it "Insufficient Coverage" is that I believe it is just that! This plan has a $2000 deductible per person, or $4000 for a family. It only covers 20% of hospital stays after the deductibles are met. I don't believe this is a worthwhile health insurance plan because the premiums don't justify the high deductibles, and because what we uninsured really need is protection against a huge unexpected hospital bill. I included this option in the table, however, to be honest about the lowest cost plans that are available. The column titled "Good Coverage" is the monthly premium for a range of different plans that have low or no deductibles, and 100% coverage for hospital stays. To see all the plans available for every family size and age, you can go to www.mahealthconnector.org . "

Everyone stop and look at your calendar. It's February 18th, Barack has a lead and Hillary is gasping for air. Never, did her campaign think that Obama would do this to them. So, they find a little part of a speech, speech, not doctoral dissertation or published work that he borrowed from a friend, and call this plaigarism. These were words from a friend that he used to make a larger point. The Clinton's are sooooo desperate.

All the erroneous attacks on McCain in this thread are simple diversionary tactics.

Posted by: Jeff | February 18, 2008 2:28 PM

You deny that McCain said "Fired up and ready to go?" without attributing it to Obama?

Did he have Obama's permission in advance?

You deny that McCain was rebuked by the Senate for his action gavoring Charle Keating?

Where's the error Jff?

The liberal press will find a way to excuse Sen. Obama & inflict double-standards based upon what stories sell more papers.

Aviva and the other apologists, look at the side by side youtube comparison. He didn't just "unwittingly utilize specific language they've heard from someone else." The speech was almost the exact same speech! And he didn't give attribution to Patrick at any time.

Worst of all, the speech's theme was "words matter." They'll matter now more than ever because they were someone else's words.

Everyone stop and look at your calendar. It's February 18th, Barack has a lead and Hillary is gasping for air. Never, did her campaign think that Obama would do this to them. So, they find a little part of a speech, speech, not doctoral dissertation or published work that he borrowed from a friend, and call this plaigarism. These were words from a friend that he used to make a larger point. The Clinton's are sooooo desperate.

Anyone with half a brain should know that the term plagerism does not apply in this case. Have you ever heard of "paraphrasing" or perhaps "relaying"? This is all Obama did. I use my collegues words and ideas when I speak and I use my competitors and I don't always give them credit since I don't believe phrases or ideas can be copywritten.

Biden's speech copied not just the thoughts of the British politician but his life experiences; things that Biden didn't actually experience but thought they sounded good out loud. That, more than anything, was the reason for the downfall.

Honestly, I have to wonder what Clinton was thinking when they decided to throw this at the wall. Patrick is a supporter, friend and ally of Obama so obviously they would present a united front with Patrick saying "He has my blessing to use my rhetoric" and Obama saying "Gee, sorry Patrick" (Patrick: "No harm done, pal"). The only people a story like this speaks to is the already converted.

Anyone with half a brain knows how to ignore this pointless, ridiculous, hypocritical, slanderous, BS.

hilLIARy the woman who planted questions in the audience is petty, desperate and hypocritical to even think about bringing this up at all

p.s. to those trying to compare to biden - not the same - look it up - apples and oranges - in Biden's case, it wasn't a few common phrases strung together in a similar manner as with obama - the comparison doesn't hold water at all

HilLIARy people are TOTAL hypocrites

this is not plagiarism for many reasons - just for starters Obama added the churchhill quote that the other gentleman did not

IT WAS SO OBVIOUSLY A SPEECH ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WORDS - AND IT WAS A NECESSARY SPEECH BECAUSE HILLIARY HAS BEEN ACTIVELY TRYING TO SAY THAT BEING INSPIRATIONAL WITH WORDS IS NOT A NECESSARY TRAIT IN A WORLD LEADER -OBAMA'S SPEECH WAS A SPEECH ABOUT MEANINGFUL WORDS FROM OUR OWN HISTORY THAT WERE MORE THAN JUST WORDS - AND THUS TOTALLY AND DIRECTLY REFUTES HILLIARY'S ARGUMENT (which is really just a cover up for her inability to be inspirational as a leader) - HOW COULD HE NOT USE SIMILAR LANGUAGE TO WHAT HIS COLLEAGUE HAD SAID ???? OBAMA HAD TO USE A SIMILAR SPEECH TO MAKE HIS POINT AND HE WAS ONLY ANSWERING HILLIARY'S PERSONAL ATTACK ON HIM

BUT IF THE QUOTES OF WORLD LEADERS ARE OUT OF BOUNDS THEN MAYBE .......... just
maybe ............ Bill Clinton should sue everyone who uses the phrase "IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOUR DEFINITION OF 'IS' IS"

OR

"I SMOKED IT BUT I DIDN'T INHALE"

OR

"I DID NOT HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH THAT WOMAN"

OR

"OF COURSE OBAMA WON SOUTH CAROLINA ..... SO DID JESSE JACKSON"

OR HILLIARY SHOULD SUE ANYONE WHO SAYS,

"VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY"

OR CHELSEA SHOULD SUE ANYONE WHO SAYS,

"I'M NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK TO THE PRESS"

BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE MOST MEMORABLE "WORDS" FROM THE MOUTHS OF THE CLINTONS

THERE IS AN OLD SAYING AMONG WRITERS/COLLEGE PROFESSORS;

THE PROFESSOR'S VERSION IS

"IF YOU BORROW FROM ONE SOURCE, IT'S PLAGIARISM, IF YOU BORROW FROM MANY, IT'S GOOD RESEARCH"

THE WRITER'S VERSION IS,

"IF YOU BORROW FROM ONE SOURCE, IT'S PLAGIARISM, IF YOU BORROW FROM MANY SOURCES, IT'S BRILLIANT'

OBAMA = BRILLIANT

How can anyone honestly find any fault with Obama for this and not find much greater fault with HilLIARy for planting a question in the audience - you can't

ANY hilLIARy supporter who has any problem with obama over this, is a completely two faced hypocrite - PERIOD

hilLIARy = NOT a leader

Is that it?!?!

Is this all Hillary and old man McCain have got, that Obama might have borrowed words from a friend?!?!

I'll tell you what a LIE is.

It's when "straight-talker" old man McCain spends months and months telling eveyone how much he is AGAINST torture...and then last week he turns around and votes FOR torture.

That's the kind of LIE that affects Americans not some BS like "Obama may have borrowed some ones words in a speech" like the Hillary and McCain cheerleaders on here are crying about...

This should tell everyone just how desperate Hillary and McCain really are.

You mean to tell me that the man people are relying upon to "Change the Nation" cannot create his own speech. How in the world can we rely upon him as the President of the United States, when his entire message of 'Change and Hope' is a borrowed speech from someone else? LOL! You mean this is man Oprah calls BRILLIANT? This surely is a sign that Obama is "All Talk and No Action".

Billary are desperate to win and they will do anything to win the White House. Then they will change it to Billary House.

Let the first person who has never used others' words throw me the first stone!

MLK was accused of plagiarism in some of his theological writings (according to a lecturer I had in college), and did that have an impact on what he accomplished? This is a non-story, and another example of Clintonian ambition to win trumping her will to serve.

What is going on here? I am outraged!!!! How dare the media criticize anything Senator Obama says or does. The mask has finally been removed from the racist face of the media. The evil Clintons must have manufactured this story since our messiah is incapable of any wrongdoing. Let the Obama magical mystery tour bus roll on!

Ironic that someone who spends so much time on College campuses participates in plagiarism. If you look at the YouTube video of both speeches the lifting is clear as day.

To all my fellow H. Clinton supporters:

To be honest, all these dirty, negative games are perceived as signs of desperation, and are damaging to H. Clinton, as reflected in her ratings. People are not stupid. I am for positive campaigning
Peg,
H. Clinton in 08

This is another attempt by the Hillary campaign to distract voters and try to tarnish the image of Obama. And by the way, it's not Obama that has proclaimed his speeches uplifting and influential, it is the media and general public.

As for anyone speaking on behalf of Governor Patrick, perhaps they should first read his statement on the issue:
"The Massachusetts governor said in a statement: “Sen. Obama and I are longtime friends and allies. We often share ideas about politics, policy and language. The argument in question, on the value of words in the public square, is one about which he and I have spoken frequently before. Given the recent attacks from Sen. Clinton, I applaud him responding in just the way he did.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8563.html

More of Hillary's spinsters, surrogates, and supporters making mountains out of molehills. First kindergarten papers, then Shuster-gate, now this silly hubub over wordplay. All the while, the Clinton campaign has co-oped every single resonating line and theme that originated with Obama. This independent voter has come to the conclusion that Hillary will stop at nothing for power; she is a bigger threat to this nation than McCain. I'm for Obama. If he's not there, McCain will be getting my money and vote.

They're friends, Patrick suggested he use the words, he used them. It's not plagiarism, it's a riff. It might be a little bit lazy, but it's not unethical.

If you can waist time dicussing who said whose line in a speech then no wonder why in general you americans voters are less intelligent than your politician. At least it's the opposite in Europe. Obama used Deval's lines....big deal!!!! This time around the clothes have no emperor...lol

What is going on here? I am outraged!!!! How dare the media criticize anything Senator Obama says or does. The mask has finally been removed from the racist face of the media. The evil Clintons must have manufactured this story since our messiah is incapable of any wrongdoing. Let the Obama magical mystery tour bus roll on!

OK, Obama used a couple lines from a friend. I must be hearing things, because it seems to me that every time HRC opens her mouth, stolen words and phrases of Obama's fall out. Come on people. How can this not be seen as a desperate attempt to smear.

Plagiarism, Flagiarism, Organism, aww who really cares. Just a bunch of Socialists sharing a rib-eye while trying to figure out something slick to say to the sheeple.

Quit giving this guy a pass because he is black. It is obvious that no one wants to be the first to have the racist card pulled on them for picking on Osama-Sorry Obama. Clinton isn't going to push the envelope because we all know why! Notice how little things are coming out now about Obama, i.e. this incident about him using other people's words without asking or giving them credit. What about the guy in Chicago that gave him donations that is being tried? It is time for those connections to be outlined. Obama is far from clean and is nothing but a con man. He talks good but has no substance.

Originality is undetected plagiarism.

Glee. They're going after McCain's vote on the torture bill now. Say, where was Obama during that vote? Is that one of the many, many war votes he just didn't have the guts to even show up for? Wow, that's some leadership!

Obama used my words I used those similar words in an earlier post except I began with the Word "Scripture" then: Lomcoln, FDR, JFK, MLK etc. The are all words and belong as all Truth does to the Ages of Time. Hillary needs to start using such, unless she has something better.

Why won't she release her financial statement like every other candidate has done?

HILLARY IS EVEN MORE DESPERATE THAN I THOUGHT!!!

I think most of us often borrow or use ideas we obtain from others in our routine conversations or (gasp!) even speeches. That's how ideas of the human race are passed around for shared knowledge or consideration.

If every idea or statement that originated with someone else had to have a "credit to source" supplied, most speeches and discussions would sound like reading the bibliography of a scientific peer review article or doctoral thesis: perhaps technically correct; but worthless in the context of sharing the important ideas and information.

By the way, does Deval Patrick have a problem with this? Frankly, I would feel honored. If Mr. Patrick is OK with it, then why should anyone else be bothered?

Another free ride for Obama.
Everytime someone points out something negative or bad about this guy he gets a free ride. So far, no one has held him accountable on anything.
Do we want a President who rips off another's words then brushes it off as if it is nothing? Or a President who gets involved in a shady real estate deal? Or a President who is in league with the tobacco indurstry?

Glee. They're going after McCain's vote on the torture bill now. Say, where was Obama during that vote? Is that one of the many, many war votes he just didn't have the guts to even show up for? Wow, that's some leadership!

Posted by: Jeff | February 18, 2008 3:09 PM

How many war votes has McCain missed Jeff? He's missed 55.7% of the votes this term.

Didn't vote on FISA.

Didn't vote on SCHIP.

Didn't vote on Homeland Security act.

Didn't vote on cloture for his own immigration reform act.

Didn't vote on the April 2007 war funding bill.

Wow what leadership from Senator McCain! (Maybe he's too tired to come to the Senate?)

You still haven't explained why anyone with half a mind should vote for the Plagiarist John McCain.

From Wikipedia:

"Plagiarism is the practice of claiming or implying original authorship of (or incorporating material from) someone else's written or creative work, in whole or in part, into one's own without adequate acknowledgement. Unlike cases of forgery, in which the authenticity of the writing, document, or some other kind of object itself is in question, plagiarism is concerned with the issue of false attribution."

As a professor that has dealt with the issue of plagerisim. I find the entirety of this issue to be without merit and a distraction from the problems we have to face together in this country. If the Senator stood up and said or implied that all that you were about to hear were original words and phrases then he'd be guilty.

Most of us would in fact be guilty, some on a daily bases. How many people have given Snoop Dog credit when they used some phrase that they didn't even understand?

Glee. They're going after McCain's vote on the torture bill now. Say, where was Obama during that vote? Is that one of the many, many war votes he just didn't have the guts to even show up for? Wow, that's some leadership!

Posted by: Jeff | February 18, 2008 3:09 PM

Bill/Jeff,

Old man McCain missed 65% of the votes in the Senate last year (2007) while he was pretending to represent Arizona.

McCain was second in missed votes only to Senator Tim Johnson, WHO WAS RECOVERING FROM BRAIN SURGERY!

-this probably has something to do with why McCain couldn't even get 50% of the vote during the Republican primary in Arizona, his home state.

You better come with something better than that to defend McCain's flip-flopping and lying, Mr College Republican.

Maybe Obama is not as brilliant as he would like us to believe.

Not giving credit says something about the man.

Even Jesus paraphrased the Old Testament, and Obama is the second coming, isn't he?

How dare these heretics question the new messiah!

please !!!!! hilLIARy the woman who planted questions in the audience is petty, desperate and hypocritical to even think about bringing this up at all

p.s. to those trying to compare to biden - not the same - look it up - apples and oranges - in Biden's case, it wasn't a few common phrases strung together in a similar manner as with obama - the comparison doesn't hold water at all

HilLIARy people are TOTAL hypocrites

this is not plagiarism for many reasons - just for starters Obama added the FDR quote that the other gentleman did not

IT WAS HOWEVER A NECESSARY SPEECH BECAUSE HILLIARY HAS BEEN ACTIVELY TRYING TO SAY THAT BEING INSPIRATIONAL WITH WORDS IS NOT A NECESSARY TRAIT IN A WORLD LEADER -OBAMA'S SPEECH WAS A SPEECH ABOUT MEANINGFUL WORDS FROM OUR OWN HISTORY THAT WERE MORE THAN JUST WORDS - AND THUS TOTALLY AND DIRECTLY REFUTES HILLIARY'S ARGUMENT (which is really just a cover up for her inability to be inspirational as a leader)

HE WAS ONLY ANSWERING HILLIARY'S PERSONAL ATTACK ON HIM

BUT IF THE QUOTES OF WORLD LEADERS ARE OUT OF BOUNDS THEN MAYBE .......... just
maybe ............ Bill Clinton should sue everyone who uses the phrase "IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOUR DEFINITION OF 'IS' IS"

OR

"I SMOKED IT BUT I DIDN'T INHALE"

OR

"I DID NOT HAVE SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH THAT WOMAN"

OR

"OF COURSE OBAMA WON SOUTH CAROLINA ..... SO DID JESSE JACKSON"

OR HILLIARY SHOULD SUE ANYONE WHO SAYS,

"VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY"

OR CHELSEA SHOULD SUE ANYONE WHO SAYS,

"I'M NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK TO THE PRESS"

BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE MOST MEMORABLE "WORDS" FROM THE MOUTHS OF THE CLINTONS

little t - tom - the independent

I agree with prof. peterson

THERE IS AN OLD SAYING AMONG WRITERS/COLLEGE PROFESSORS;

THE PROFESSOR'S VERSION IS

"IF YOU BORROW FROM ONE SOURCE, IT'S PLAGIARISM, IF YOU BORROW FROM MANY, IT'S GOOD RESEARCH"

THE WRITER'S VERSION IS,

"IF YOU BORROW FROM ONE SOURCE, IT'S PLAGIARISM, IF YOU BORROW FROM MANY SOURCES, IT'S BRILLIANT'

OBAMA = BRILLIANT

How can anyone honestly find any fault with Obama for this and not find much greater fault with HilLIARy for planting a question in the audience ?????

ANY hilLIARy supporter who has any problem with obama over this, is a completely two faced hypocrite - PERIOD!!!!!!!

If I or any of my classmates pulled the same stunt in our Journalism, Speech, or Writing classes, we would've been failed for the course and possibly thrown out of school.

If I was a media-annointed prince, people would not only forgive me, but would attack my opponents and use whatever diversionary tactics they could come up with.

Change we can believe in? Right...

Let the first person who has never used others' words throw the first noun, verb, adjective ... whatever!

It is interesting but at times disturbing how some people in here have a very narrow opinion about things....politics, contemporary issues, sense of judgment and so forth! Obama is not perfect and we all know that. But all you guys in here who are trying to make a mountain out of a mole are just footnotes while Obama is the text. You need to get focussed and reflect on the most important issues America is facing- and is dragging the rest of the world along with it.

Its about time someone scratched the veneer of the rhetoric. Who has the guts to ask this question:

Senator Obama -- In your speech on Super Tuesday, perhaps by coincidence, you used key phrases from a 1984 speech by Jesse Jackson (“Our time has come. Our time has come” DNC), a poem by June Jordan (“we are the ones we have been waiting for” -- “Poem for South African Women”), and a song by Norman Hutchins (“a change is coming”) – but you did not credit any of them for the key lines in your speech. Isn’t this the kind of speechwriting that doomed Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in the 1980s, and why should your speeches be held to a different standard?

Obama used a single sentence, suggested to him by his friend, Deval Patrick. A single sentence, and people call him a plagiarist. He apologizes for this, and he's a scumbag.

Mark my words, Deval Patrick will come out publicly claiming that Obama's use of his words is not a big deal.

Once Again desperation from the Clinton Camp. If it was sooooooo offesive how come Patrick does not care. Talk about Baracks lackluster finance plan not his speeches. Unemployed people could care less about this.

I've been reading lots of comments from people. What amazes me is that many seemingly Clinton supporters are saying that "anyone with half of a brain" would never vote for a plagarist, yet they are buying every Clinton campaign assertion about Obama. Such as "he's all talk and not substance," or "he's a plagarist." For those of you who say that Obama supporters are "half-brained" consider the fact that you are just repeating the Clinton party-line. Instead of attacking people, attack the substance of the assertion; namely, whether or not you think Obama is a plagarist.

Quick? How can we stop Obama's momentum right before a couple of primaries we're sure to lose? I KNOW! Let's pump up a non-issue!

Jeff,

McCain missed 65% of the votes in the Senate last year (2007) while he was pretending to represent Arizona. Only Tim Johnson missed more and he was recoving from brain surgery.

Perhaps that has something to do with why McCain couldn't even get 50% of the vote in his home state of Arizona this past Feb 5.

PS- If you want to continue to make a big deal over this then I would suggest that McCain quit useing "fired up and ready to go" which he stole from Obama just last week...

Hey look! A distraction.

It's so shiny.

Posted by: Annie | February 18, 2008 2:27 PM

Best post I've read in months. Thanks, Annie.

How many times have we heard "I'm the candidate for change" from every single candidate so far? Whomever said they are for change first should be up in arms. It's not like people ever hear something they like and say it again.

Attack fluff. The last resort of a sinking campaign ship.

Another free ride for Obama.
Everytime someone points out something negative or bad about this guy he gets a free ride. So far, no one has held him accountable on anything.
Do we want a President who rips off another's words then brushes it off as if it is nothing? Or a President who gets involved in a shady real estate deal? Or a President who is in league with the tobacco indurstry?

Posted by: terry fisher | February 18, 2008 3:20 PM

...Or a president that would cover her own behind?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7007109937779036019

Enrique is right: Clinton's hypocrisy in making an issue out of plagiarism. In Wisconsin just days ago, she brazenly told an audience, as though it were her own enlightened prononcement and not Obama's slogan, "It's time for a change," before going on to say a little later in the same speech, "I believe OUR BEST DAYS ARE AHEAD OF US," lifted right from Ronald Reagan! I just happened to catch those two examples of her phoniness because they were so obvious and came so close together, as though the speech was cobbled together out of a string of catchy phrases from any source her handlers could haul out in desperation. To divert attention away from herself when it's to her advantage to do so, she quickly manufactures petty, ridiculous accusations against her opponent. Obama is guilty of a mistake, which a Clinton never is. Guess it depends on what the definition of is, is. Oh, and of course, Bill didn't inhale.

I fail to understand why people keep saying that the media is giving Obama a pass on anything. Seems to me that they're all over him on every utterance they can find, simply because it's something to write about. The reason this issue will likely not come to anything is because it's SOOooo.. "much ado about nothing". The negative posts on this blog are sure done by a bunch of petty, cynical sourpusses. If you look at other insignificant articles written about this, Deval Patrick has come out and said he didn't mind that Obama used something he'd said before. And anyone who's bothered to do any research on Obama's positions via his website knows that he's not "light on substance" and that is another myth perpetrated a lot by the media, who have commentators saying things like, "Will the American public really accept someone who gives a good speech vs. someone who is better on policy?" This implication solidifies in people's minds that Obama is all style and no substance, which is untrue. (Sigh...) There are so many untruths floating around about all of the candidates (McCain, Obama AND Hillary), it's really difficult to take so much time to research and find out the real truth about what was said, or why someone voted the way they did. Such a shame....

The reporter asked the question. Why do Hillary and McCain get the blame? Didn't the newspaper post the other venues? Instead of saying, someone else did it at one time or another, just assume responsibility. Obama is a smart guy, but in this case it appears his campaign was lazy. Doesn't he have a speechwriter? We could never get away with that with our professors, no matter if our friends said it was o.k. to borrow phrases from their papers. There are so many words in the English language to express an idea.

Someone else must have stole the materials for the speech because there is no way that Obama had time to. He was too busy performing miracles and walking on water. "Oh wait" I forgot the healing the sick and dividing the fish and loaves of bread.

Get a life Clinton.
-------------------
Reduced to the pathetic...
jezzzzz...

Same old dirty tricks. Hillary has been stealing Obama's words and policy from the beginning of the race! She's also using the language of John Edwards now. Someone in the press should call her on it. The Hillary camp's making a fight out of this is incredibly petty -- and pitifully desperate-sounding. -- Mod

Jeff/Bill,
A couple of months ago, before you ran away with your tail between your legs, you defended Sen. John McCain's poor attendance in the Senate for crucial votes by saying his votes were meaningless because there was already a majority who agreed with his position, blah, blah, blah. I believe you even said, "if the votes were tied on an issue or it was close, you'd better believe John McCain would show up and vote". It looks like your posiition has changed now that the focus is on the other side. I believe there is a word for what you are doing. It's called a double standard Jeff/Bill. Stop it! You are throwing stones and you live in a glass house. Am I a plagiarist now?

I don't recall ever hearing a political speeech with footnotes.

Is this all you can come up with. Keep digging in desperation!!!

Obama is not real...I am from Illinois & he has done nothing for us. The can give speaches and that's it. I want to believe in him, but my head tells me he is not right for the job. It is also important for people not to use others' words without prior knowledge or permission. After the applause and cheering are over, that is not the time to say, "Oh, by the way....".

People should just STOP and look at the source.

This is coming from the Hillary camp because they are insanely desperate and they probabaly got a little help from the McCain camp because McCain knows he has no chance of beating Obama but he has a slight chance going up against Hillary.

What is wrong with Obama supporters now? This article says that Obama himself says he got the speech from Patrick. So what is the big deal with the Obama supporters? The problem is, the press has been far to kind to Obama and very unfair to Clinton. Everything Obama does like; Obama once played basketball with FCC director
In college; 2) Obama gets high polls from every state... 3) Women prefer Obama; 3) Men favor Obama; 4) Obama wins... 5) Obama NO #1, and on, and on, and on.

Please Obama supporters, get a grip, because if your candidate looses, you are then going to say something is unfair. Therefore, I would advise you to read everything, the Washington Post, the WJC, the NY Times, the CNN News and so on. Do not just rely on one or two sources for your news. You will see and I can prove there is so much good news about Obama. Be prepared in case your little goody two shoes candidate does not make it. Please be prepared and do not say ANYONE is unfair.