Presidential candidate Barack Obama used lines that Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick used during his campaign for governor while Obama campaigned in Wisconsin over the weekend. Here's what Obama told Clinton:

“Don’t tell me words don’t matter,” Mr. Obama said, to applause. “ ‘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, only he used the famous lines from JFK, MLK, and the Declaration of Independence in a different order, and he was talking to Republican candidate Kerry Healey when he used them. Here's the YouTube comparison (via Breitbart)

But is it possible to plagiarize if Obama has full permission to do so? Patrick and Obama are friends, and Patrick told the NYT that he "shared language from his campaign with Mr. Obama's speechwriters." If anything, it would be hard to tell who plagiarized whom first, as Patrick used the "hope" theme regularly in his campaign. Patrick and Obama's campaign strategies are cut from the same cloth.

Of course, as far as mudslinging politics go, this is minor-league material. The real story is that Patrick is sharing gameplay tips with Obama, but he used to work for Bill Clinton. The Clinton campaign might like some advice from an ace speaker like Patrick right about now.

Update: Obama has stated that he should have credited Patrick but that they "share ideas all the time."

Many thanks to Paul Keleher for the tip!