Blogger: Rep's use of my words was OK

Sherrod Brown used parts of a Web posting in a letter criticizing Samuel Alito.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown's office initially acknowledged plagiarizing sections of an Internet posting in a letter to his Republican opponent criticizing the Supreme Court nominee's record on labor issues.
But the Cleveland-area congressman's staff went on the offensive Tuesday when the author of the Web log, or blog, said Brown had the right to use his words.
Brown sent the letter to Sen. Mike DeWine, whom Brown is challenging in next November's election, to call attention to anti-labor decisions nominee Samuel Alito had made while sitting on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. DeWine sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will preside over Alito's confirmation hearings before he can join the high court.
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer challenged Brown's staff about the wording of the Nov. 1 letter Monday.
Brown's spokeswoman Joanna Kuebler said staff members should have cited blogger Nathan Newman for material they used verbatim. On Tuesday, Kuebler said it still would have been best to cite Newman, but after talking to the blogger, the staff decided it wasn't necessary. The letter was written by staff, but Brown signed off on it.
Defends Brown
Newman, a self-described progressive liberal from New York and a Cleveland native, defended Brown when Newman returned Tuesday from his honeymoon in the Pocono Mountains.
He said he had posted examples of Alito's dissenting from pro-labor decisions by the 3rd Circuit to send a message to senators such as DeWine.
"They had an explicit right to print it without attribution," he said. "The point was the substance, not my prose, and I'm glad he [Brown] used it."
Newman, a lawyer who has fought for increasing Ohio's minimum wage, said he had e-mailed the Alito posting from his Web site, NathanNewman.org, to several activists for their use. He also posted it on one of the most popular Democratic blogs, DailyKos.com, in hopes that someone powerful would use it.
Newman pointed out the DailyKos site contains a disclaimer that says the content may be used for any purpose unless restrictions are noted.
Reporters have been fired for plagiarism, and students can be expelled for stealing written material. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., was forced to pull out of the presidential race in 1988 because he lifted parts of his campaign speech.
Since the use of Newman's material was not restricted, Brown's use of excerpts does not compare to the Biden situation, Newman said.