Clinton Camp Eyes Comeback in Texas, Ohio
Clinton eyes Texas as similarities between Obama, Edwards speeches questioned.
Feb. 20, 2008— -- After a big loss last night, and with less than two weeks to go until Texas and Ohio vote, the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is trying to portray Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as an unacceptable choice for the role of commander in chief.
As part of that effort, they're poised to push any bit of information that might make Obama look like he's either inauthentic or stealing other people's lines.
Earlier this week, Obama acknowledged he and his friend, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, had shared ideas for speeches on occasion. Obama said it was not a big deal. And Patrick called the charge of plagiarism "elaborate" and "extravagant."
"I've known Barack 15 years. We've talked a good deal. I fully expected he would sustain a charge at some point, trying to belittle his ability to motivate people. I got the same attack," Patrick said.
"It's not like he's writing a law review article or a book. He should have credited me two words," he added.
On Wednesday, the Clinton campaign pointed ABC News to another example, which, they say, shows that Obama borrows material.
The clip shows former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., announcing his first run for president in 2003. Edwards says: "I haven't spent most of my life in politics, as most of you know, but I've spent enough time in Washington to know how much we need to change Washington."
Last year, Obama announced, "I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change."
The language is not identical, and the Obama campaign said it seemed like the Clinton campaign was grasping at straws.
"These are the sort of small attacks that have been rejected so soundly by voters all across the country, and we suspect that voters will continue to," said Obama spokesman Bill Burton.
"I think they were expressing a similar point. That you don't need to be in Washington that long to see that there were a lot of problems in Washington that need to change," Burton said.