ABC’s Jack Tapper fact checks Deval Patrick and finds some holes in the Obama-stole-my-speech-story:
Speaking to the New York Times Sunday, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick attempted to excuse his friend Sen. Barack Obama’s lifting of part of his October 2006 “Just words” speech.
“In a telephone interview on Sunday, Mr. Patrick said that he and Mr. Obama first talked about the attacks from their respective rivals last summer, when Mrs. Clinton was raising questions about Mr. Obama’s experience, and that they discussed them again last week,” the Times’ Jeff Zeleny wrote. “Patrick said he told Mr. Obama that he should respond to the criticism, and he shared language from his campaign with Mr. Obama’s speechwriters.”
But Obama was quoted using Patrick’s language before the Summer of 2007.
“‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, all men are created equal.’ Those are just words,” Obama was quoted as saying in a March 19, 2007 New Republic story. ” ‘I have a dream.’ Just words.”
So….the claim that Patrick an Obama “first” discussed this last Summer does not make sense.
It should also be noted that in addition to the “Yes We Can” slogan that Obama used in 2004, Patrick used in 2006, and Obama uses today, other language from the two clients of political guru David Axelrod has come from both men’s mouths.
As a side note to all this nonsense, since when does Obama own the phrase, “yes we can?” Ronald Reagan 1981 (Times Select archive purchase required):
Now it’s that simple. Our opponents want more money from your family budget so they can spend it on the Federal budget and make it remain high. Maybe it’s time that you and millions like you remind them of a few simple facts: It’s your money, not theirs. You earned it, they didn’t. You have every right to keep a bigger share than you’ve been allowed to keep for a great many years now. And when they insist we can’t reduce taxes and spending and balance the budget too, one six-word answer will do: Yes we can, and yes we will.