Scott Brown camp regrets plagiarism "oversight"

The office of Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts is blaming a technical error for the fact that comments attributed to Brown posted to his campaign website were lifted verbatim from former Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

The Boston Globe first reported the plagiarism, which the newspaper was directed to by the Democratic Super PAC American Bridge 21st Century.

"I was raised to believe that there are no limits to individual achievement and no excuses to justify indifference," Brown was quoted as saying on his site in comments that were removed earlier this week. "From an early age, I was taught that success is measured not in material accumulations, but in service to others. I was encouraged to join causes larger than myself, to pursue positive change through a sense of mission, and to stand up for what I believe."

Dole, the former North Carolina Republican senator, used those exact words in kicking off her campaign in 2002.

Brown's spokesman told the Globe that Dole's website, where the speech was posted, was "one of the models" for Brown's site, and that "during construction of the site, the content on this particular page was inadvertently transferred without being rewritten."

"It was a staff level oversight which we regret and is being corrected," added spokesman John Donnelly.