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'Change You Can Xerox'
August 22, 2008 11:41 PM
Remember that clunker of a zinger from Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY?
Trying to make hay out of Sen. Barack Obama's use -- with permission but not attribution -- of some language from previous speeches by Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., Clinton essentially called Obama a copycat.
The controversy soon died down.
But lest we forget, the man whom Obama has apparently chosen as his running mate -- Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del. -- has an episode in his past where he used someone else's lofty rhetoric, unattributed, as well.
Biden withdrew from the Democratic primaries for the 1988 presidential campaign after it turned out he had lifted passages from British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock without attribution.
"Stupid," an older, wiser Biden judged for ABC News' Charlie Gibson twenty years later, for a profile of the major 2008 presidential contenders. "My mistake. Born out of ignorance, thinking I didn't have to prepare. And I didn't deserve to be the nominee. And all of a sudden, internationally, I'm this guy who cuts corners, who isn't honest, who's using other people's words. And it was, it was, man, it was, it was terrible."
The episodes are not completely similar. And Democrats sure feel confident that the problems in the U.S. right now will overshadow political kerfuffles like these.
But I’d sure expect Republicans to make hay out of it all.
- jpt
August 22, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (119)
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Obama chose someone who supported McCain and said Obama was not ready to be PoTUS. Who does that: Someone who holds no grudges and is sincerely interested in hearing from those who do not always agree with him.
Now that's putting your money where your mouth is.
Will McCain pick Romney? We'll see.
Obama/Biden 2008
Posted by: Encore | Aug 23, 2008 9:12:07 AM
Peach: "Biden was actually endorsing a Kerry/McCain ticket in '04!"
I don't think McCain wants his base to be reminded at that ...
The Evangelicals will be apalled to learn that McCain had had discussions with Kerry in '04 about being his running mate.
As they will be when they learn that McCain has been an Episcopalian his entire life. Until last September that is, when he suddenly started telling people that he was a Baptist.
Posted by: Willem van Oranje | Aug 23, 2008 9:09:42 AM
"Beau Biden, is the current Attorney General of Delaware. As the cops would say, the Biden machine, anxious to ingratiate themselves with Obama, had the means, motive, and opportunity to arrange this outrageous arrest. For those gullible enough to believe that civil liberties might improve under an Obama regime, this ought to provide a reality shock."
Is this payoff for Biden's son having someone falsely arrested at the Washington Press Club??????? Will the media investigate this?
Posted by: geevill | Aug 23, 2008 9:08:12 AM
McCain admonished Putin on Russian troops in Georgia and talked about forcefully removing them. Zero dollars
Putin responded by asking McCain, "You and what army?" Priceless
Obama said that there needs to be a time table for withdrawing troops from Iraq. Zero dollars
President Bush has inked a deal to have troops withdrawn by 2011. Priceless
Judgement my friends- Obama/Biden 2008
Posted by: roll call | Aug 23, 2008 9:02:46 AM
Biden will indeed have excellent material on McCain, he knows him for decades.
Biden was also the one who torpedoed Giuliani's run with his priceless observation: "A Verb, A Noun, 9/11"
We already could adopt it to "A Verb, A Noun, POW"
But I'm sure Biden will find an even better observation.
Posted by: Willem van Oranje | Aug 23, 2008 8:58:08 AM
Priceless.
The McCainiacs are so out of their depth, they now have to run to Democrats' quotes to disparage Obama.
They can't find one themselves.
Well, be sure you attribute the quotes every time you use it. Otherwise you will be accused of plagiarizing as well.
Be careful out there.
Posted by: Willem van Oranje | Aug 23, 2008 8:53:17 AM
I would certainly hope we can talk about ethical lapses from the eighties. But I think we should start with the Keating scandal.
Posted by: a reader | Aug 23, 2008 8:50:09 AM
The Men's club is alive and well. There's nothing exciting about this election. Obama says he's taking the high ground but I beg to differ. Many media continue to promote him. We really don't know much about him, just questionable material in his books. Where are the media in giving us some solid investigative reporting? What is he offering Ms. Clinton's supporters, absolutely nothing. Women voices are being pushed to the back of the venue.
Posted by: Vivi | Aug 23, 2008 8:25:31 AM
hillary get my vote
Posted by: sue | Aug 23, 2008 8:15:06 AM
Obama bi(n La)den '08
And they get mad when reporters confuse his name with world terrorist #1? Is this some sort of bad joke? Has anyone checked Howard Dean's sanity lately?
Posted by: David Johnson | Aug 23, 2008 8:12:50 AM
Biden said he would be honored to "run with or against John McCain". He pushed hard for Kerry to pick McCain as his VP in 2004.
Posted by: Altfreep | Aug 23, 2008 8:11:35 AM
A verbal pit bull of sorts who has foreign policy expertise. Biden can play bad cop to Obamas good cop. His strengths far outweigh his weaknesses.
Posted by: Nuke emall | Aug 23, 2008 8:11:33 AM
Thank GOD Obama made his choice and picked someone he thank can help him win.why would I vote for someone who don,t know what he doing? My vote is for Hillary Clinton
Posted by: sue | Aug 23, 2008 8:02:34 AM
Did Biden serve in the military?
Posted by: Altfreep | Aug 23, 2008 7:53:22 AM
At one time Joe Biden said if he got the Democratic nomination for President, he would serve out his current term in the Senate,which ends this election cycle, but his son Beau would run for his Senate seat in 2008.
I know McCain and Obama didn't give up their seats -- but I don't believe either are up for reeleaction this year and on a ballot this year running for their current Senate seat.
Posted by: Gracie | Aug 23, 2008 7:52:49 AM
Priceless. Obama has gone against everything his "new style" of politics was suppose to be about. Absolutely priceless.
Posted by: Greg | Aug 23, 2008 7:50:00 AM
Can you spell PUMA?
Posted by: Sarah | Aug 23, 2008 7:48:35 AM
Instead of the 3AM phone it was a 3AM page--- and it was after the "crisis" was all over the news networks.
Posted by: Gracie | Aug 23, 2008 7:47:12 AM
McCain ads are ALREADY SAYING, said BO was "Not ready to serve," didn't have enough experience, but that he would "be honored to run with, or against John McCain."
Posted by: Peach | Aug 23, 2008 7:46:50 AM
You know it's bad when even CNN calls Biden a one man gaffe machine.
Posted by: Peach | Aug 23, 2008 7:46:02 AM
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