Poshard: the story of the "good" plagiarist?

In a twist on the "good acts as a defense to plagiarism" story, it now appears that a recent online poll was a bit rigged to favor Poshard:

AP reports:

An online newspaper poll found resounding support for Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard, but a Poshard friend's admission that he rallied colleagues to vote is casting suspicion on the results.

The Springfield State Journal-Register's poll asked whether Poshard should resign over plagiarism allegations. Respondents voted 3-1 in Poshard's favor.

That was after a longtime friend of Poshard's, Hugh Muldoon, e-mailed friends and colleagues urging them to vote "no" to Poshard's resignation. Muldoon, director of the University Christian Ministries in Carbondale, said he has a "couple hundred friends" who agree that Poshard has been good for SIU.

The e-mail read, in part, "Public opinion has a significant influence with the Board of Trustees and other political figures. Poshard thinks it is important to have a substantial majority in favor of his staying."

Poshard spokesman Dave Gross acknowledged that Poshard called Muldoon, but he said Poshard was joking about getting help with the poll.

IPBiz notes whether in taking the easy way out in not placing quotation marks around the work of others OR in getting friends to sway a supposedly objective poll, Poshard's approach is becoming clearer.