More Than Words

William Shakespeare, if he was presented the story of the ongoing American presidential primaries, might just have stroked his beard and said, “Hmm, too much going on here.” The latest bit of drama is the Clinton campaign making an accusation of plagiarism about Barack Obama. They claim Obama stole the thrust of a speech made by Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick a couple of years ago without giving Patrick credit.

Patrick and Obama are friends, and Patrick has said that Obama using his words is not a big deal. (Details here.) Meanwhile, check out the clip below, with the relevant parts of both speeches. Obama’s oratory is central to his appeal, and as far as this speech is concerned, Patrick actually says it much better.

I’m still supporting Obama for the Democratic nomination, but that’s mainly because of who he’s up against. If he is the nominee, I’m not sure I’ll support him for November. Despite this controversy, I love his style—but I’m just not sure about the substance.