10 Prominent Political Figures Accused of Plagiarism
The first African-American president of the United States was known for his way with speeches. However, in 2008 he weathered an allegation that he stole the words of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.
"While the Obama campaign might have been dismissive of the charges, the video evidence made it absolutely clear that the then-Illinois Senator did indeed lift passages directly from Governor Patrick," stated the conservative website Hannity.com.
Others came to Obama's defense, noting that since Patrick and Obama were good friends and ran in similar circles, it made sense for their rhetoric to be similar.
"Patrick and Obama, who rely on the same campaign wizard, David Axelrod, have shared enough campaign rhetoric to be declared separated at birth," argued Jack Shafer of Slate.
"Given the conventions of campaign oratory, I'd have a hard time diagnosing plagiarism on Obama's part — as opposed to poor form — unless Patrick alleged that his friend fleeced his words, which he hasn't and won't."
