How Original is Obama?

You've heard the talk about Obama lifing entire passages of a speech from Deval Patrick. We know he's been parroting talking points from the Clinton campaign for a while now. But there is a new wrinkle to this story. It seems Obama has also been "borrowing" ideas from John Edwards.

From Taylor Marsh:

No doubt John Edwards can sympathize with Clinton today. Obama's ripoffs are real.

Just recently, Barack Obama was accused of "stealing" Hillary Clinton's economic plan.

"He basically took Clinton's words and Clinton's policies and called them his own," Hassett said. "If I were a professor I'd give him an F and try to get him kicked out of school for something this terrible ... I remember Mrs. Clinton saying shared prosperity and I remember the bill that she introduced in August for infrastructure. The fact is these are things Obama has taken as his own without crediting the source of the ideas which was Mrs. Clinton."

Sun-Times: Obama takes hit on economic policy - Campaign's a ripoff of Clinton's, her supporters, McCain adviser maintains.

It's hardly a first.

Edwards said Obama was using stolen ideas:

Edwards’s campaign also blasted Obama for parroting the former senator in a foreign policy speech he gave Tuesday in which he said he wanted to work towards ending nuclear proliferation. They said the senator has followed Edwards on a number of issues this campaign year, including healthcare, poverty and now nuclear proliferation.

“If you need any more proof that John Edwards is shaping the race for the Democratic nomination, you don’t need to look any further than Senator Obama, who has followed Edwards’s lead on healthcare, poverty and, today, eliminating nuclear weapons,” Murray said in an e-mail to The Hill. “Next thing you know, he’ll be rooting for the Tar Heels.”

Obama copies line from Edwards 2003 announcement speech. "For months, Obama has been telling crowds, 'I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.' Edwards gave a similar spin to his short political resume when he announced his candidacy in September 2003, declaring, 'I haven't spent most of my life in politics, but I've spent enough time in Washington to know how much we need to change it.'"

Obama borrows from Edwards

Elizabeth Edwards on Obama:

In the Aug. issue of Progressive magazine Elizabeth Edwards goes so far as to call Obama an outright copycat, accusing him of "lifting her husband's best lines." E. Edwards: "You listen to the language of what people say, particularly Obama, who seems to be using a lot of John's 2004 language, which is maybe not surprising since one of his speechwriters was one of our speechwriters, his media guy was our media guy. These people know John's mantra as well as anybody could know it. They've moved from 'hope is on the way' to 'the audacity of hope.' I'm constantly hearing things in a familiar tone."

... ... Edwards: "We are not the party of Washington insiders. We are the party of the people, and so from this day forward we say no -- no forever to the money from Washington lobbyists."

The only difference -- Obama beat him to it that day, towing the same anti-lobbyist line at an earlier event that day in central Iowa. Obama: "We've got to have a president in the White House who sets bold targets and sets broad goals and isn't intimidated by the barriers and the roadblocks and isn't driven by those who already have an investment in the status quo - somebody who can overcome the lobby-driven, divisive politics that characterizes this issue."

Meanwhile, back at the labor forum, Obama used another token Edwardian statement: "We need a president…who is not afraid to mention unions."

Would "borrow" make the Obama fans feel better?

Good grief ...