Sen. Barack Obama Plagiarism Controversy

I'm not accusing Sen. Barack Obama of anything, but Sen. Hillary Clinton is. Her camp contends that Obama plagiarized part of a speech he gave at a Democratic Party dinner in Wisconsin last weekend.

I have to admit his speech does bear a striking resemblance to a speech delivered by Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick in Oct. 2006.

“Don’t tell me words don’t matter," Obama retorted when Clinton critisized him by saying he may give smooth speeches, but she is better equipped to solve problems.

"‘I have a dream.’ Just words?" he asked. "‘We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.’ Just words? ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Just words? Just speeches?”

Obama admitted he should have publicly given Patrick, his friend, credit for adopting parts of his speech.

And he was also quick to point out that two of his signature catch-phrases, “It’s time to turn the page” and “Fired up and ready to go,” have been borrowed by his accuser while on the campaign trail.

"I would add that I noticed Sen. Clinton, on occasion, has used words of mine as well,” he said.

See a side-by-side comparison of both mens' speeches below.





Portions of this blog entry courtesy of The New York Times.