McCain's Plagiarism Problem

by Jonathan Singer, Mon Aug 11, 2008 at 04:54:46 PM EDT

It's never a good sign when a presidential candidate is caught cribbing foreign policy notes from Wikipedia -- particularly when that candidate is trying to put himself forward as the more serious and experienced choice in the realm of foreign policy.

A Wikipedia editor emailed Political Wire to point out some similarities between Sen. John McCain's speech today on the crisis in Georgia and the Wikipedia article on the country Georgia. Given the closeness of the words and sentence structure, most would consider parts of McCain's speech to be derived directly from Wikipedia.
First instance:
one of the first countries in the world to adopt Christianity as an official religion (Wikipedia)
vs.
one of the world's first nations to adopt Christianity as an official religion (McCain)

Taegan Goddard has a couple more examples of this over at the link above for those interested, and they are interesting.

But taking a step back, it's always interesting to think about these stories from the perspective of the shoe being on the other foot -- what would the reaction have been had this story come out in relation to the other candidate. In this case, what would have happened had Barack Obama, not John McCain, been caught cheating on the 3 AM test by appropriating from Wikipedia? Heck, what would have happened if a college student, or even a sixth grader, had been exposed for such actions?

This is a major league embarrassment, one that goes a long way towards undercutting the meme that McCain is untouchable on foreign policy. Yes, it is more likely a case of a staffer writing notes for the candidate failing to do all due diligence in researching the day's talking points, instead cutting a corner too closely by taking cues from Wikipedia, than anything else. Still, a candidate must stand by the words out of his mouth even if not anything else. And if McCain is going to go around borrowing from Wikipedia, or even just paraphrasing the site, it makes less believable the argument that he's a real foreign policy heavyweight.

Update [2008-8-11 20:56:55 by Jonathan Singer]:At least one professor wouldn't be happy getting a paper with these types of similarities.

Update [2008-8-11 22:18:36 by Josh Orton]: But who says McCain doesn't understand the internet??

Tags: John McCain, plagiarism, White House 2008 (all tags)

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If we assume it was a staffer that makes it worse.

McCain's foreign policy speeches written by someone who has to get the background information from Wikipedia. Does he not have any experts at all on his staff?

by GFORD 2008-08-11 05:05PM | 0 recs

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Re: McCain's Plagiarism Problem

I really, really, really really hope that the traditional media pics up on this.

Will no one hold the McCain camp to any sort of accountability?

I mean, Chris FREAKING Wallace put Rick Davis in the hot seat this week, and Cokie Roberts refers to Obama as "exotic"

WTF?

by dannybauder 2008-08-11 05:15PM | 0 recs

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Nelson Muntz laugh

ha-HA

by zerosumgame 2008-08-11 06:09PM | 0 recs

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Re: McCain's Plagiarism Problem

McCain himself can't swipe things from Wikipedia, since people have to help him to use the internets! Obviously he's responsible for the things he says, but this is extra-hilarious since it reminds people that Wikipedia is an abstraction for McCain!

by jeff in chicago 2008-08-11 06:20PM | 0 recs

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clever of mccain

to establish his alibi beforehand.

by John DE 2008-08-11 06:31PM | 0 recs

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Re: McCain's Plagiarism Problem

People who read your comment might get the impression that McCain writes ANY of his speeches. I don't think that's true. That's why he likes the town hall meetings.

by vcalzone 2008-08-11 07:29PM | 0 recs

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"Straight Talk" you can Xerox

by Al Rodgers 2008-08-11 06:22PM | 0 recs

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McSame debuts new Campaign Slogan

"Just Do It"

Shhh. The Corporate Media will never catch on.

by Al Rodgers 2008-08-11 06:24PM | 0 recs

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Source schmource

We're supposed to celebrate their "official religion"? This is a reason we're supposed to go to war for them? Another crusade?

Gee, seems to me that's something a bunch of Dead White Males would have a problem with.

by BlueinColorado 2008-08-11 06:34PM | 0 recs

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McSame doesn't even go to church!

and what's next, McSame saying the US should adopt an official religion?

by Al Rodgers 2008-08-11 06:39PM | 0 recs

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This is important how?

The blogs are full of snarky irrelevancies. This is one of them. But, so much for raising the level of the dialogue...

I mean, come on! Bloggers want to be seen as "journalists", or something approximating journalists, and this just reinforces the notion that bloggers in general have too much time on their hands, have little in the way of real, important information on real, important concerns, or are too invested in irrelevancies... like this.

by mabelle55 2008-08-11 07:07PM | 0 recs

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Re: This is important how?

Admitted, it's not Bernie Mac-gate, but some of us find the idea that Mr. Foreign Policy cripped a major address from Wikipedia illuminating.

by Jess81 2008-08-12 02:10AM | 0 recs

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Re: This is important how?

That's a good one. I would respond by making a "things that are important to PUMAs" list, but I can't be bothered.

by Jordache 2008-08-12 02:14AM | 0 recs

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Re: McCain's Plagiarism Problem

So loose-bearings McCain's foreign policy "experience" is drawn from Wikipedia?

Evidently some of his advisors have discovered Wikipedia. But what about the Georgian lobbyist on McCain's staff? Didn't he have anything to offer to McCain in the way of "talking points"?

by Hempy 2008-08-11 07:11PM | 0 recs

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Re: McCain's Plagiarism Problem

McCain always gets a pass. The MSM refuses to do it's job.

by nzubechukwu 2008-08-11 07:35PM | 0 recs

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Re: McCain's Plagiarism Problem

I believe, though maybe I should Wiki it, that Christianity became the 'official' religion of the Georgian tribal state in 330 a.d. Which is not all that early considering that is the same time the Roman Empire did.

It is just a really odd statement to make... unless you copied it from somewhere.

Also the statement is completely a dog-whistle for Christians. Because a country was Christian is not reason to support it in the conflict. And, Russia, is likewise overwhelmingly Christian. But, I guess in McCain's mind, since Missionaries didn't go to Russia until the 7th Century - the Georgians are older, and thereby better, Christians.

by cardboard 1 2008-08-11 09:17PM | 0 recs

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Re: McCain's Plagiarism Problem

Dang- if only we had known, we could have slipped some innocent misnomer into that wiki article-- just in time for his staffer to copy it.

(i.e. Georgia is not named after King George, instead, 'Georgia' is Russian for "place of conflict")

by Bob Beard 2008-08-11 09:33PM | 0 recs

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Re: McCain's Plagiarism Problem

Haha!

How about:

Georgia has been a long time ally of the United States, going back to when they sent over a division of grenadiers during the Revolutionary War.

by Jess81 2008-08-12 02:11AM | 0 recs

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Re: McCain's Plagiarism Problem

Your partisan blinders are causing you to ignore the possibility that John McCain spends his free time contributing to wikipedia and the words appearing there are HIS words!!

yes, seriously, this is snark.

by Mobar 2008-08-12 07:35AM | 0 recs

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Re: McCain's Plagiarism Problem

This is really the pot calling the kettle black isn't it? Especially since Barack "I just share campaign themes with my good friend Deval" Obama based most of his campaign on plagiarized ideas.

This, in the grand scheme of things is a pretty sad representation of what this site has become.

by apolitik 2008-08-12 09:00AM | 0 recs