Barack Obama's Borrowed Words

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Timing Is Everything

There is an apparent discrepancy in the timeline regarding Barack Obama's explanation for his use of speech passages from his friend, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. The governor told The New York Times that they discussed the matter last summer and again last week. But ABC's Jake Tapper points out Obama was quoted using Patrick's phrases in a New Republic magazine story in March of 2007.

And there is now a second case of Obama closely mimicking Patrick's words.

This is Obama in a South Carolina speech last November: "I'm not just asking you to take a chance on me. I'm also asking you to take a chance on your own aspirations." And Patrick's words from June of 2006: "I am not asking anybody to take a chance on me. I'm asking you to take a chance on your own aspirations."

Unlikely Allies

It's not every day that the liberal American Civil Liberties Union finds itself on the same side with the conservative Alliance Defense Fund, but it is happening in the case of a suburban Chicago high school student who was prevented from wearing a shirt that said "be happy, not gay."

The ACLU has filed a legal brief in the student's lawsuit, saying the Indian Prairie school district's policy preventing disparaging speech is unlawfully vague and should distinguish between protected protest commentary and harassment.

Heidi Zamecnik was wearing the shirt in response to the school's "day of silence" to promote acceptance of gay students. She was told to change it or leave school because some students found it offensive.

Picture Perfect

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson is being ridiculed for a huge photo homage at HUD headquarters — to himself.

The Washington Post says the building's public entrance features 20 large, color photographs of the secretary in various poses — meeting with President Bush, talking with a disabled child, looking at a construction site. There is also a second exhibit in another entrance, that features 18 more photographs.

The Post advises Jackson fans interested in the display to visit soon — the secretary is under investigation for various alleged acts of favoritism in the awarding of government contracts.

Total Success

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran's determination to continue its nuclear program has brought its critics to their knees.

Ahmadinejad gave a speech to a crowd in the city of Bandar Abbas. As supporters chanted "death to America" — Ahmadinejad said, "The Iranian nation's will to continue nuclear work has won over the will of big powers ... (and) brought them to their knees."

Not everyone in Iran is happy with the rhetoric. Critics say he is pushing the country into international isolation.

Back in Business

And an update on Tuesday's story about the journalist whose Web site was dropped by Google news because of his continued investigation of corruption at the United Nations.

Matthew Lee of Inner City Press tells FOX News that his site is back up as of midnight, Wednesday morning. Google received heavy criticism for de-listing Lee's site.

— FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.