Brent Scowcroft Center Nonresident Senior Fellow James Joyner writes for Real Clear Defense on the Master’s paper plagiarized by Montana Senator John Walsh at the Army War College:
Not unreasonably, Tufts University professor and Washington Post columnist Dan Drezner has some things to say about Montana Senator John Walsh’s plagiarized masters paper at the Army War College. As his headline puts it, “On what academic planet does a 14 page paper merit John Walsh an M.A.?”
Actually, it’s a bit complicated.
First off, let’s stipulate that I think the evidence crystal clear that Walsh intentionally plagiarized the paper. This wasn’t a case of shoddy citation. He deliberately included large chunks of others’ text, passing them off not only as his own research but as his own analysis, with zero indication that he’d referenced said others. Had he been caught, he’d not only have had his thesis rejected, but likely kicked out of the Army War College ending his career with prejudice. As it is, AWC has convened an academic review board to consider revoking his degree. It should.
Second, I concur with Drezner that Walsh wrote an exceedingly bad paper even aside from the plagiarism issues.