[advance_copy]

The WaPo story was POSTED ON FREE REPUBLIC 29 minutes after MD4BUSH's posts, according to the time stamps

Correct, that's why I used the phrase "no later than". You are also right in saying that the WaPo web story must have been posted on their web site even before 11:34, and possibly before 11:05. This certainly confirms that WaPo could not have used the public posting by MD4.

[Antoninus]

Correct, that's why I used the phrase "no later than". You are also right in saying that the WaPo web story must have been posted on their web site even before 11:34, and possibly before 11:05. This certainly confirms that WaPo could not have used the public posting by MD4.

If that's the case, then clearly the later public posting by MD4Bush was an exercise in CYA and perhaps a strong bit of circumstantial evidence that the WaPo is more deeply involved in this than simply as the recipients of the information in question.