Is the “war of words” and the claims of “rhetoric pilfering piling up on Obama”, “war over Obama’s speeches”, “Quote-gate II”, “Twice-Tod Tales, and Nine in a Row”, and ecetera, ecetera a “fair attack” or “not a big deal”? Just to pick a few responses:

One Politician’s Homage 
Is Another’s ‘Plagiarism’
By ELIZABETH HOLMES
February 20, 2008; Page A6
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

<<<< Bruce Cain, a political-science professor and founder of the Travers Program in Ethics and Accountability in Government at the University of California at Berkeley, pointed out that Mr. Obama isn’t “all the way over at Biden.”

Yet the Republican National Committee was quick to follow up with a laundry list of remarks made first by Mr. Patrick, then by Mr. Obama.

Gerald Nelms, an associate professor of rhetoric and composition at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, points to the world of “ghostwritten” speeches and says borrowing language is commonplace in politics. Dr. Nelms called the attacks on Mr. Obama “much ado about nothing.”

“That’s Shakespeare,” he added.>>>