Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama responded today to Sen. Hillary Clinton's charge that he plagiarized a speech, saying of the controversy, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
Mr. Obama's somewhat cryptic remark came at a fundraiser in Houston in which he dared his rival to tell the truth about the brouhaha, declaring, "You can't handle the truth!"
The Illinois senator also told his supporters that Mrs. Clinton was trying to use the plagiarism allegations to back him into a corner, but warned, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."
Mr. Obama's last remark raised eyebrows, in no small part because people were puzzled as to why he had suddenly referred to himself as "Baby."
But the Illinois senator, who exhorted the crowd at the fundraiser to "show me the money," seemed dismissive of Mrs. Clinton's accusations, later telling MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
Professor Davis Logsdon, who studies plagiarism in the speeches of presidential candidates at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Oratory, says that accidental plagiarism can often occur in the hurried atmosphere of a political campaign: "As Obama himself has often said, he feels the need... the need for speed."
For his part, Mr. Obama seems to have moved past the controversy altogether, greeting his audience at a campaign rally in El Paso with his trademark welcome: "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash."
Elsewhere, President George W. Bush said that while he recognized Kosovo, he could not recognize Kosovo on a map.
Andy Borowitz is a comedian and writer whose work appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and at his award-winning humor site, BorowitzReport.com. He is the host of "Countdown to '08" at the 92nd Street Y on Tuesday, May 13 at 8 PM with his special guests Susie Essman (HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Jeffrey Toobin (CNN, bestselling author of The Nine. For tickets, go to 92y.org.
Follow Andy Borowitz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BorowitzReport
Go ahead, blogosphere, get your Google on:
BARAK OBAMA "ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI" +"MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE" OR MUSSOLINI
And spread the news: We've been HAD.
Cute post.
"Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night."
"Sons of Texas. I am Barack Obama, and I see a whole audience of my countrymen here in defiance of Hillary. You have come to vote as free men, and free men you are..."
Some wondered if he was alienating the female vote with this opening, but Obama said he just thought of this off the top of his head and for some reason the words seemed to flow better when he referred only to men. Go figure.
sweet-ass haircut: $400
"universal" health care program: $60 billion
godsend of a huffpo blog that finally inserts some much-needed laughter in the middle of all this negative campaigning: priceless
(with apologies to the uncredited writer who created that credit-card campaign in the first place.)
"DO NOT SEEK THE TREASURE!" Hillay wheezed.
"Is this heaven?" Obama queried.
"No it's Iowa" Hillary smirked.
"Yippee-ki-yay, motherf*cker!" "I'm the King of the world!" Obama whooped.
"I fart in your general direction" Hillary sulked.
"They all laughed at Christopher Columbus when he said the world was round.
They all laughed when Edison created sound." As advisers slashed through the words, Obama was saying, "What? What!?"
There are two stages before political irrelevancy.
First the politician becomes the object of derision and then they become the object of pity. That is where HRC finds herself.
Hey, call me silly, but doesn’t her campaign remind you of the war in Iraq.
Bush was fixated on winning Baghdad, thinking that constituted victory and gave little thought to the aftermath.
HRC was fixated on winning Super Tuesday, feeling confident that she would have it wrapped up by then, so why bother with the caucus states.
Bush thought that the Iraqi people wanted democracy but what they really wanted was security.
HRC thought the American people wanted experience, but what they really wanted was change.
Bush thought that since he had the support of the Chalabis the support of the Iraqi people would follow.
HRC thought that if she had the support of the Rangels and Youngs, she would have the support of a core constituency.
Both Bush and HRC can be faulted for hiring people based on loyalty and a distant, secondarily, competence.
Neither Bush nor HRC can be accused of admitting to error.
Neither can be accused of humility.
Both feel that if you are not with them, you are against them.
Bush calls his enemies evil.
HRC threatens to “demonize†those who question her wisdom.
All of this is so old school!
Well a political Tsunami is sweeping across this land and I am reminded of a Dylan line, “Something is happening here and you don’t know what it is, do you Mr. Jones!â€
Skycontrol 02/20/08
LOL
I mean it's at the point of ridiculousness, all Hillary has to go after him with is critiquing his speeches. It's silly and petty.
said Hillary
See ya latah, aligator!
Obama: I am serious. And don't call me Shirley