The short story is that a few lines from a recent Obama speech were previously used by Deval Patrick. I am sure some intrepid opposition researcher at the Clinton campaign unearthed this with some savvy googling. What I don’t get was the boneheaded decision to use this to go after Obama. The Clinton campaign is behind and is using the typical trailer tactics of demanding more debates and going on the attack. This was an ill-advised line of attack.

Consider that 1) Deval Patrick is friends with Barack Obama 2) They share the same consultant 3) Obama has admitted he has used lines from Patrick in the past 4) Clinton has stolen several Obama lines during the course of the campaign 5) Clinton has to at some point stolen other people’s lines besides Obama. On the latter point see this post over at the ABC News Blog Political Punch(h/t to Ben Smith)

I asked Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass, if they could assure the public that neither Clinton nor McGovern has ever done what Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, did when he used the rhetoric of Gov. Deval Patrick without footnoting him.

They would not.

In fact, Wolfson seemed to say it wouldn’t be as big a deal if it were discovered that Clinton had “lifted” such language.

“Sen. Clinton is not running on the strength of her rhetoric,” Wolfson said.

Translation: Clinton don’t speechify real good and therefore it is ok for her to steal lines. Mmm k.

The more they push this line of attack, the more the media will make them out to be fools and remind everyone that she is behind and throwing everything and the kitchen sink to try and catch up to Obama. Just not a smart tactical move.