Did McCain Plagiarize His Georgia Speech From Wikipedia?

CQ Politics:

A Wikipedia editor notices some similarities between Sen. John McCain's speech today on the crisis in Georgia and the Wikipedia article on the country Georgia. They appear similar enough that most people would consider parts of McCain's speech to be derived from Wikipedia.

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Comments

[serena1313]

It is fairly common to borrow campaign slogans ...

"Change" was Obama's from day one. When the other candidates hopped on the "change" mantra the press asked Obama what he thought of that, he replied, 'good Iam glad it is catching on.'

Other instances -- If i remember correctly HRC lifted a partial paragraph from one of Jimmy Carter's speeches. Obama [had permission] borrowed from a friend, too. Neither credited their source nor did McCain.

Notwithstanding to compare borrowing campaign slogans and/or sentences with lifting paragraphs from Wikipedia to use in a major address on a foreign policy crisis is like comparing apples to oranges because it signals something deeper:

McCain's foreign policy "expertise" argument may have just fallen apart.

Either he knows history or he doesn't. If not McCain needs to run on something else or study up on world history -- just like he promised to study economics over the summer, but didn't. Otherwise he would know the basics if that were the case.

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.

[MadJeffersonian]

The "speech" was written by the same "help" that was responsible for selecting the McCain family recipes.

[uclafan]

and lets not forget he was "googling" as part of his vice presidential protocol!

[nanton29]

I like it.....

[PatientNoMore]

Could it be that the candidate American's have the most confidence in to navigate foreign policy ACTUALLY knows so little about the world as to have to depend on a staffer who knows how to work the "internets" to look up something intelligent sounding on wikipedia to keep that illusion suspended in front of us?
Ooops! Busted.

[ChiGuy]

I know a few high school kids that could have done a better job of re-writing the Wiki entries so that they at least sounded original.
When you're a Republican running for office, the standard operating procedure appears to be to hire the dirtiest and least competent people, and then brush them aside when busted on it.

[booksnmore4you]

The greatest irony here is that the Republicans killed funding for the authoritative and extensive country studies once written and placed into the public domain by Library of Congress researchers.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/getoc.html is the last one on Georgia, done in 1994.

So now they use Wikipedia!!!

[jsinclair]

No. I think McCain's staff used Wikipedia for one simple reason: they're stupid enough to think that any kind of information is good enough to use in a MAJOR FOREIGN POLICY STATEMENT DURING A CRISIS.

He wanted to lecture us about Georgia--history and importance in the world--and show himself to us as so smart, a real policy wonk whose knowledgable about the world.

To accomplish this, he gave a speech with text staffers got for him from WIKIPEDIA. And he never even thought about it enough to ask--"Where is it from?" or "Are we sure this is all accurate?"

I still can't get over it.

[booksnmore4you]

Great! Foreign policy written by anonymous teenagers.

[JonStewart4President]

That's not change you can Wiki.

[mcole]

lol!!

[KenHussein]

Now this is a f*ckin' suprise.

[unitedstates]

Obama plagiarized the governor of MA speech .. did he not?

[chitown8]

Actually he had permission to use it. He help co-write Obama speech. Look it up!

[DebbieinPhx]

Sorry Chitown8 I stepped on your reply...so I agree with you, but was DIS agreeing with errr...the unitedstates????! hmmm that can't be good.

[nanton29]

Just as he co-wrote Obama's speech on race. Right?

[DebbieinPhx]

No, he did NOT!!! If you would actually go back and read the news papers' interviews with the govenor, just after that speech you would have learned that he (the gov of Mass) was an "on staff consultant" and SPEECH WRITER for Obama and as such, yes, Obama had every right to use his words.... that is what speech writers actually do for their clients.

Now, John McCain on the other hand, has cribbed Wikipedia... for heck's sake! He has made an error in judgement that even my 11-year-old knows is an absolute no-no. I know this because I asked her. (What would happen to you, if you did what he did for a school paper) Her response was "Geez Mom, if I copy off Wikipedia I get an "F" on my paper, detention for three weeks and I have to go to the principal's office." I think McCain (at minimum) should be subjected to the same level of scrutiny as my 7th grader!! I told my daughter that what Senator McCain was very wrong to do that, but I cautioned her that she should never be tempted to follow his bad example.

Ya know by the time you get to college those penalties actually get a lot tougher... they boot your lousy butt to the curb, so watch out for the street sweepers ol' John!!!

[serena1313]

As a role model McCain earns an F!

[RatgurlSD]

If only JM chose to Wiki (or Google) "Keating Five" or "Cindy McCain" he might actually learn something about what the public already knows...

[DebbieinPhx]

In the words of Paris Hilton, "Loves it!" *smirk*

[CrittersRTasty]

How's this for ironic? if you look up "keating five" IN Wiki, you'll find:
"Senators John Glenn and John McCain were cleared of having acted improperly"
Before you reference a source, you should always check to see that it agrees with you...

[Tommygun264]

McSame wasn't cleared - he just wasn't charged. He was however disciplined. Keep spinning...

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

This is leadership you can cut and paste.

[serena1313]

LOL

[placeyourvote]

I can't see how anyone would consider voting for a republican. Not this time. The tactics of the republicans should be well known by now.

Is this there October suprise......

Sounds like I hear "DRAFT" in the near future. BEWARE.

While we are preoppupied with Paris and other childish AD's , they are planing their next move.

THINK people and stay FOCUS

[suntzu]

John McCain -- the wiki-candidate.

[DebbieinPhx]

Very nice, sounds like a word straight off of the Colbert Report!!!

[frappe]

Would old pappy M'cCain have mobilized the Georgia National Guard in Atlanta?

[clearthinker2008]

He's asking his speech writer right now what the f*ck is a Wikipedia!?

[CamJam]

I thought the same thing!
Toooo funny!

[DebbieinPhx]

hahahahahahahahahaha! too, tooo, toooooo funny!

[wanj]

classic!