“We apologize for Mrs. Trump’s speech, and to Mrs Obama for misappropriating her 2008 remarks. The speechwriter(s) responsible for the plagiarism have been fired.”

Whether true or not, it would have been believed, and by tomorrow, forgotten.

But nooooooooooooooooooo. Instead, we have been told that there “was no plagiarism”, that it is some kind of Liberal plot to discredit Melania and distract from her noble message, etc, etc, etc. It is reminiscent of Barack’s time travel, going back in time 50 years to put in fake birth notices in Honolulu newspapers to conceal his Kenyan birth and prepare his illegal run for the Presidency.

Stay nude for the tunes, folks, it can only get better.

However, the fact that her remarks are almost word-for-word repetitions, almost a dictation of Mrs. Obama’s comments tells me there’s something a little deeper going on. I believe one of those ghost writers had a real ax to grind with the Trump campaign. He was probably someone Trump had failed to pay for previous services rendered, getting a little revenge at the Donald’s expense. Trump does have a reputation of not paying the people he hires what he owes them. But to be fair, neither can I rule out he was a Democrat plant–an agent provocateur–doing a little campaign sabotage.

Either way, no harm done, nobody got hurt, other than a little embarrassment that will soon be forgotten. As “dirty tricks” go, this is a pretty tame one. What is really instructive is how the Trump campaign is responding to this tempest in a teapot. Now THAT is what’s really going to teach us a lot about his campaign and how it will handle itself.

I remember when Joe Biden lost a campaign because a speech he made was shown to echo some of the same sentiments that a British politician had made in a campaign speech a few years earlier. The “plagiarism” Biden was accused of was his admission that much of his success in life had been due to government assistance and programs which had made a big difference in his education and career. That struck home with me because I am painfully aware of much my own success in life has been due to government aid and assistance, both to me and my family when I was growing up. My Mom bought her first house with a VA Loan, as I did myself. I also went to a State College on the GI Bill, first my deceased Dad’s unused benefits, and later my own. I worked as a student for my college and got paid with government funds. And of course, not only have I worked for State and Local government, I also worked for a defense industry that wouldn’t even have existed without massive Federal funding. Today, my income is totally dependent on Social Security and a modest State pension from my job with the County–not to mention the massive middle class welfare program that made possible my 401Ks and IRAs. The poor get food stamps, the bourgeosie get mortgage exemptions and tax-deferred savings plans.

I know perfectly well how fortunate I was to have some aid from the taxpayer, which I was able to use to bootstrap myself out of the working class and into a professional career. My story is not unique, I know how much I (as do so many others) owe the community for my prosperity. I recognize and acknowledge my debt, and accept my responsibility to society and my obligation to pay at least some of it back. Unfortunately, our Conservative friends are always ready to claim full and sole credit for their accomplishments, while always ready to blame some leftist conspiracy for their shortcomings and bad investments.

Screw ‘em.

Now, interestingly, they’re seeking to lay the blame at the feet of a speechwriter, presumably one not named Melania.

The lies the Trump campaign apply to this issue will likely be trivial compared to their real whoppers, but it’s instructive to note how casually–how instinctively–they pull lies out of thin air.