It is doubtful that there has ever been a politician who has not borrowed from great orators in the past, lifted a turn of phrase from another politician, flat out stolen the words of great authors, poets, and playwrights. Nobody thinks anything of it. Why? Because they're just talking, they're haranguing, they're "speechifying."

That is really all there is to it. Unless...

Unless there is a presidential nomination on the line.

Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign seems to be grasping for anything, trying desperately to do whatever it takes, no matter how seemingly inconsequential, to stop the Obama momentum train dead in its tracks. Or to just slow it down.

On Monday, February 18, the day before the Wisconsin Primary and the Hawaii Caucus, Howard Wolfson, the Clinton campaign's communications director, accused Senator Barack Obama of plagiarizing the 2006 speech of Deval Patrick, who at the time was running for the governorship of Massachusetts. Obama used Patrick's words at a speech given in Milwaukee Saturday night.

Patrick's words, which have become known as the "Just words" speech, were an answer to his opponent's attacks at the time on his lack of experience, that his words did not have substance. Patrick then quoted several famous lines from history, paused after each quote, and said, "Just words." Obama followed the same pattern on Saturday to great effect.

Patrick has said that he and Obama are friends, have spoken about using the phrasing, and that he does not mind Obama using his words. Obama says it is no big deal, just a simple mistake, that he has no problem giving full attribution to his friend.

According to CNN, Clinton's headquarters have said Obama's failure to attribute Patrick undermines "the premise of his candidacy."

Bay Buchanan told Anderson Cooper on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" that Senator Clinton had a lot of nerve accusing Obama when she keeps using the catchphrase, "Take back America!", which her brother, Reverend Pat Buchanan, used during his run for the presidency.

All politicians do it, according to most analysts.   This attack on the Obama camp is seen by many political experts as simply a ploy by the Clinton camp to derail the juggernaut that has stolen their thunder, their nomination. But will it get any traction? The controversy certainly is getting plenty of attention in the blogs and on the news.

But will it have an effect on the voters in Wisconsin and Hawaii? With 94 Democratic delegates at stake, it could mean a lot if people think Obama's small mistake reflects his character.

However, if people have been paying attention to politicians for the past several decades, they will realize that this is actually a political nonissue brought up by the Clinton camp to help stop Obama's momentum and not be swayed by it. But with the race as tight as it is between the two Democratic contenders, something that may seem unimportant may in fact loom large in the eyes of voters. Either way, it makes for great pundit fodder. Expect to hear a bit more about it in the next few days...

Sources:

Jeff Zeleny, "Clinton Camp Says Obama Plagiarized in Speech," NYTimes.com

Suzanne Malveaux, Mary Snow, Robert Yoon, Bill Schneider, and Eli Sanders, "150 delegates up for grabs Tuesday," CNNPolitics.com

"Anderson Cooper 360," CNN television