I was checking out some of the highlights from last night’s CNN/Univision debate in Austin, Texas between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Hillary said something that sounded awfully familiar,
Whatever happens, we’re going to be fine. You know, we have strong support from our families and our friends. I just hope that we’ll be able to say the same thing about the American people, and that’s what this election should be about.
This sounded incredibly familiar to me, and I couldn’t remember from where. Then it hit — I could hear John Edward’s Southern accent with a head cold in my head. So I looked it up. And there you go, John Edwards talking in New Hampshire this November 2007:
To be perfectly honest about it, my life is going to be fine no matter what happens. So is Barack Obama’s. So is Hillary Clinton’s. Our life is going to be fine. On the other side, Mitt Romney is going to be fine. Giuliani is going to be fine … But [this election] should not be about any of us; it should be about the country we believe in. The democracy we want to change. Where the people who we all grew up with — your story — get heard.
Hillary may not have used each and every one of Edwards’ words, but if you want to get legal about plagiarism, the ideas are clearly not hers, have not been authorized for her to use, and do reference Edwards. Maybe, just maybe, Hillary should be more careful about her criticisms. Dave Scaggs at the Maryland Soccer School where I used to be a summer camp coach used to always tell us, “point your finger, and you’ll have three pointing right back at you.”
Grave Error 