In his novel Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut observed that "Plagiarism is the silliest of misdemeanors. What harm is there in writing what has already been written?" The answer, apparently, is a lot if you're a Brooklyn Dodger-loving historian like Doris Kearns Goodwin, but not much if you're the leader of the free world.
Plenty of ink has been spilt in past months on the controversies surrounding two of America's best known historians, Goodwin, keeper of all things presidential, and Stephen Ambrose, fountainhead of all things World War II. Certainly no one should downplay the seriousness of the academic form of plagiarism. But at least according to Vonnegut's broad definition, there may be more offensive versions. After all, neither Goodwin nor Ambrose knew enough to take advantage of the writing brilliance of the American Petroleum Institute (API).
In a recent Washington Post story, Dana Milbank revealed that oil industry lobbyists' policy "suggestions" are ending up, sometimes almost word for word, in President Bush's energy policy. In a March 20, 2001, e-mail, the API wished for "a suggested executive order to ensure that energy implications are considered and acted on in rule-makings and other executive actions." The group wondered if "inordinate complications in energy productions and supply" would be caused by certain environmental regulations. Sure enough, in Executive Order 13211, issued May 18, Bush required federal agencies to consider "any adverse effects on energy supply, distribution or use" that might ensue from their regulatory policies.
That may not be outright policy "plagiarism," but it gets worse. The API also proposed the energy industry be considered in the case of "any substantive action by an agency that promulgates or is expected to lead the promulgation of a rule, regulation or policy, including but not limited to, notices of inquiry, advanced notices of proposed rule-making, notices of proposed rule making, and guidance documents." Bush complied; the same executive order defines itself as applicable to "any action by an agency that promulgates or is expected to lead to the promulgation of a final rule or regulation, including notices of inquiry, advanced notices of proposed rule-making, and notices of proposed rule-making."
For obvious reasons, Bush didn't quote or footnote. And it's worth observing that in the Goodwin and Ambrose cases, at least the historian plagiarized from sources everyone agrees should have been consulted, or are considered authoritative on the matter in question. Environmental groups would certainly dispute that in the Bush-API case.
What might the rascally, chain-smoking Vonnegut think of this? "So it goes" was the expression at death used by the aliens in Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. "So it goes" could be the refrain in Washington too.
