Hm. So John McCain gives a speech in which he bemoans the “million tragedies” inherent in war. ThinkProgress notes that his words, though, sounded a little familiar…

These lines are not McCain’s own. As TP reader 5th Estate discovered, they were in fact taken largely from a 1996 speech by ret. Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer. Below is a comparison of McCain’s address yesterday with Ziemer’s in 1996:

Ziemer	McCain
War is awful and when nations seek to resolve their differences by fighting, a million tragedies ensue. [Link]	When nations seek to resolve their differences by force of arms, a million tragedies ensue. [Link]
War is wretched beyond description. [Link]	It might not be the worst thing to befall human beings, but it is wretched beyond all description. [Link]
Nothing, not the valor with which it is fought, nor the cause with which it serves can glorify war. [Link]	Not the valor with which it is fought nor the nobility of the cause it serves, can glorify war. [Link]

Nowhere in yesterday’s speech does McCain give credit to Ziemer.

Well, I suppose great minds think alike. Or something like that.

Update: Curiouser and curiouser. HuffPo reports McCain actually plagiarized himself, from 2001. And Ziemer, it seems, may himself have plagiarized McCain. Great minds indeed.