Yesterday, Stephen Harper was under fire for his 2003 speech mirroring the exact words spoken two days earlier by then Australian prime minister John Howard, justifying the war in Iraq.

This story hit our newsstands just a few days after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was accused of acting like a "magpie" for stealing lines from the current Australian leader, Kevin Rudd. (He's also been accused of borrowing phrases from Barack Obama, and Sarah Palin.)

Brown's speech to the Labour Party's convention in Manchester included the line: "Why do we [the Labour Party] strive for fairness? We do it because fairness is in our DNA."

Last November, Rudd launched his election campaign in Australia, with the words: "We will ensure flexibility and fairness at work. For Labor, fairness is in our DNA."

When I read these remarks, it brought to mind a line I heard the Liberals use earlier in our own campaign.

Stéphane Dion said it, and it's written in their platform materials: "Fiscal discipline is now part of the Liberal DNA."

I'm not accusing anyone of anything. And one adapted phrase does not a plagiarist make. But there does appear to be a worldwide shortage in original ideas for clever soundbites.

— Janyce McGregor