US:Hillary Clinton's campaign has accused Democratic presidential front runner Barack Obama of plagiarism after he admitted lifting lines from a two-year-old speech by Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick.
Mr Obama said yesterday that he should have attributed the lines to Mr Patrick, who is a friend and political ally, but insisted that it was unimportant, claiming that Mrs Clinton had also borrowed lines from Mr Obama's speeches.
The row came as Wisconsin and Hawaii prepare to vote today in primaries that could give Mr Obama an unbroken run of 10 victories since Super Tuesday. Mr Obama enjoys a huge poll lead in Hawaii, where he was born, and he is about four points ahead of Mrs Clinton in Wisconsin, where both candidates have been campaigning in recent days.
Mrs Clinton has played down expectations in Wisconsin but her campaign hopes that a close result or an unexpected win could stall Mr Obama's momentum ahead of March 4th, when Texas and Ohio vote in contests that the former first lady must win to remain a viable candidate.
"We expect tomorrow will be competitive," Mr Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe said yesterday.
The plagiarism row erupted after Mr Obama made a speech in Milwaukee on Saturday in which he responded to Mrs Clinton's suggestion that he is long on lofty rhetoric but short on policy specifics.
"Don't tell me words don't matter," Mr Obama said last Saturday. "'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." The Clinton campaign yesterday released a video of Mr Patrick responding to a similar charge from former Massachusetts lieutenant governor Kerrey Healey in October 2006.
"Her dismissive point, and I hear it a lot from her staff, is all I have to offer is words," Mr Patrick said. "Just words. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal' - just words. Just words. 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself', - just words. 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.' Just words. 'I have a dream' - just words".
Mr Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, also advised Mr Patrick but the Massachusetts governor said the borrowing was simply the fruit of regular conversations between the two politicians.
"Senator Obama and I are long-time friends and allies. We often share ideas about politics, policy and language. The argument in question, on the value of words in the public square, is one about which he and I have spoken frequently before.
"Given the recent attacks from Senator Clinton, I applaud him responding in just the way he did," Mr Patrick said.
Mr Obama broke off from the campaign on Sunday to travel to North Carolina for a meeting with former candidate John Edwards, who has also had talks with Mrs Clinton since he withdrew from the race last month.
Both candidates are eager to secure Mr Edwards's endorsement and the support of about two dozen delegates who are pledged to him. Neither expects to win enough pledged delegates to secure the nomination, so the outcome could depend on the votes of 795 super delegates - senior party figures who account for one fifth of the votes at the Democratic convention.
Mr Obama wants the super delegates to back the candidate who wins most pledged delegates but Mrs Clinton says their duty is to back the one they think is best for the party and the country.
Republican front runner John McCain has won the endorsement of former president George HW Bush, who said nobody was better prepared than the former prisoner of war to lead the US.
"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," Mr Bush said.
Mr McCain enjoys a huge lead over his sole rival, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, but Mr Huckabee has promised to remain in the race until one candidate wins enough delegates to secure the nomination.