Aussie Politician Plagiarizes Michael Douglas To Attack Opposition

Anthony Albanese, the transport minister of Australia's leading Labor Party, recently went on the offensive in a speech targeted at the country's opposition party leader Tony Abbott, and for inspiration, looked to the B movie The American President written by our beloved cinematic fabulist Aaron Sorkin and starring Michael Douglas. By which we mean, he essentially lifted lines from President Douglas more or less verbatim!

What is the best and saddest part about this? That Albanese took orating tips from Aaron Sorkin, or that somebody, upon hearing Albanese's speech, actually remembered the words as coming from this random political movie from the '90s, of which there seem to be ten million?

For visual comparison's sake, although the video is much more fun, Albanese:

In Australia we have serious challenges to solve and we need serious people to solve them. Unfortunately Tony Abbot is not the least bit interested in fixing anything. He is only interested in two things: making Australians afraid of it and telling them who is to blame for it.

Douglas:

We have serious problems to solve and we need serious people to solve them and whatever your particular problem is I promise you that Bob Riompsden is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things, and two things only: making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it.

The source from which this story comes suggests that Albanese is probably just in love with Sorkin from his days writing Martin Sheen's speeches, etc., on The West Wing, and wanted to find a less obvious source from which to lift so-called brilliant weapons of mass verbal downsizing. But...really? [International Business Times]