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 Obama says borrowed lines no biggie
NILES, Ohio (AP) -- Sen. Barack Obama said Monday that reciting speech text used by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick isn't a big deal, although he probably should have given credit to his friend.
Patrick said during his gubernatorial campaign in 2006 that words matter, like "I have a dream," and "all men are created equal."
Obama used the same lines in a speech Saturday night in Wisconsin. Obama said Patrick suggested he use the lines to respond to Hillary Rodham Clinton's suggestion that Obama is more of a talker than a doer.
Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson on Monday accused Obama of plagiarizing Patrick, and said it was particularly troubling since Obama's appeal is based in large part on his rhetorical skills.
"It raises questions about the premise of his candidacy," Wolfson told reporters during a conference call.
Obama, D-Ill., said that was going too far.
"Now hold on a second. Let's see -- I've written two books, wrote most of my speeches," he told reporters after touring a titanium plant in Ohio.
Clinton herself did not comment directly for most of the day, but told reporters on a late-night campaign flight: "If your whole candidacy is about words, those words should be your own. That's what I think."
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Former President Bush backs McCain
HOUSTON (AP) -- John McCain got a nod of approval Monday from a pillar of the Republican Party establishment when former President George H.W. Bush endorsed his campaign for president.
"No one is better prepared to lead our nation at these trying times than Senator John McCain," Bush said, standing with the Republican nominee-in-waiting in an airport hangar. "His character was forged in the crucible of war. His commitment to America is beyond any doubt. But most importantly, he has the right values and experience to guide our nation forward at this historic moment."
McCain said he was deeply honored by Bush's support.
"I think that our effort to continue to unite the party will be enhanced dramatically by President Bush's words," he added.
Since effectively sealing the nomination when chief rival Mitt Romney dropped out, McCain has been working to convince the fickle and influential conservative base of the Republican Party to get behind his candidacy. The former president's backing sends a strong signal to a GOP establishment wary of the Arizona senator.
The elder Bush's endorsement follows one from his son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the current president's brother, and it serves as a further nudge by GOP chieftains for conservative activists to get over their distaste for McCain
-- and for rival Mike Huckabee to get out.
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Clinton camp seeks to undermine Obama
DE PERE, Wis. (AP) -- Top advisers to Hillary Rodham Clinton accused Democratic rival Barack Obama of plagiarism Monday, the latest effort by her campaign to undermine the Illinois senator's credibility. Obama said what he did is not that big of a deal.
Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson pointed to a speech Obama delivered at a Democratic Party dinner in Wisconsin Saturday that lifted lines from an address given last year by his friend, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.
The Associated Press reported in January that Obama had borrowed ideas and speech points from Patrick, often without attribution. But with Obama now leading in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Clinton's campaign is trying to chip away at the premise of his candidacy.
In the speech, Obama was responding to Clinton's oft-repeated charge that he is long on rhetoric and short on specifics.
"Don't tell me words don't matter," Obama told the Wisconsin audience. "'I have a dream'
-- just words? 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal'
-- just words? 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself' -- just words? Just speeches?"
Patrick used similar language during his 2006 governor's race.
Obama acknowledged trading ideas with Patrick and said the two had borrowed language from each other on occasion. He noted Clinton occasionally has borrowed language from him, using his trademark "fired up and ready to go" at her own events.
"I really don't think this is too big of a deal," Obama said. "When Senator Clinton says
'It's time to turn the page' in one of her stump speeches or says she's 'fired up and ready to go,' I don't think that anybody suggests that she's not focused on the issues that she's focused on."
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McCain still has to work for nod
WASHINGTON (AP) -- John McCain's campaign issued a statement last week claiming he had surpassed the number of delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination for president, after Mitt Romney endorsed him.
McCain sure appears to have the nomination all wrapped up. But he isn't there yet, and here's why:
It will take 1,191 delegates to secure the nomination at the party convention this summer.
McCain has 908 delegates, including those won in primaries and caucuses as well as endorsements from party leaders who automatically attend the convention. Romney has 253, according to an Associated Press tally.
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 Together, that's 1,161 delegates, which could make it tempting for some to put McCain over the top Tuesday if he fares well in primaries in Washington state and Wisconsin. A total of 56 delegates will be at stake.
But Romney has little authority over his delegates after he releases them. The vast majority haven't been named. Once they are, most will be free agents at the convention, free to support whomever they choose.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has 245 delegates, and he has said he won't quit until somebody reaches 1,191. And a few more Huckabee victories in the contests ahead could prove embarrassing for McCain.
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Huckabee urges shake-up in GOP race
APPLETON, Wis. (AP) -- Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee urged conservatives to shake up the race for the Republican nomination by helping him defeat Sen. John McCain in Wisconsin's primary on Tuesday.
Huckabee told about 100 supporters who braved a snowstorm to hear him speak that a victory would send a message to those who have declared McCain the Republican presidential nominee.
"Tomorrow, give the conservatives not only of Wisconsin but also of America a chance to be heard," he said, noting that "millions of your fellow Republicans" have not yet voted.
"If you're going to vote for me, I don't care if it snows another three feet, please go vote," he said.
"If you're not going to vote for me, please stay home," he added, drawing laughter.
Weather may keep some people home. The election day forecast called for bitterly cold temperatures in the single digits and wind chills below zero across the state, but no snowstorms. Turnout is predicted to be 35 percent, which would be the highest in 20 years.
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Ben & Jerry's founders lend ObamaMobiles
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) -- The founders of Ben & Jerry's endorsed Barack Obama on Monday and lent his Vermont campaign two "ObamaMobiles" that will tour the state and give away scoops of "Cherries for Change" ice cream.
"If there was ever a need for real change, and if there ever was a candidate to inspire us and make that happen, it's now," said Ben Cohen.
Added Jerry Greenfield: "Barack is showing that when you lead with your values and follow what you have inside that good things will happen."
Echoing Obama, Greenfield said he and Cohen succeeded when they opened their ice cream shop 30 years ago in Burlington by doing things differently, instead of copying the "tired ways" of doing business.
"What we saw is that when you want real change it's not a marketing slogan. You have to do things differently. And that is not going to be done by someone who's been involved in the system for years and years," Greenfield said, echoing Obama's criticisms of his rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Rob Hill, director of the Vermonters for Obama campaign, said he looked forward to getting behind the wheel of one of the ObamaMobiles
-- retrofitted Honda Elements.
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THE DEMOCRATS
Hillary Rodham Clinton had three stops in Wisconsin. Barack Obama campaigned in Ohio and Wisconsin.
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THE REPUBLICANS
John McCain stopped in Houston and Wisconsin. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee campaigned in Wisconsin.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"You've got to represent the wishes of your constituency," Democratic Rep. David Scott of Georgia, a superdelegate, explaining why he was dropping his allegiance to Hillary Rodham Clinton after Barack Obama garnered 80 percent of the vote in his district.
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STAT OF THE DAY:
14: Number of Obama superdelegates who are elected officials in states or districts won by Clinton.
21: Number of Clinton superdelegates who are elected officials in states or districts won by Obama.
[Associated
Press]
Compiled by Darlene Superville.
Copyright 2007 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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