Political Post: Was the Washington Post used by Democratic operatives in Maryland? (MD4Bush)

The National Review Online ^ | June 7, 2005 | Stephen Spruiell

[WhoisMD4Bush]

"Suppose, however, that Deep Throat had orchestrated the Watergate break-in and then leaked to the Washington Post in order to frame his co-conspirators. Would his motives matter then? Judging by the Post’s recent reporting on a political scandal in Maryland, the motives of anonymous sources feeding information to the paper are not important if the result is a chance to relive the Post’s glory days of Watergate, if only in some small way ..."

[WhoisMD4Bush]

OK, I know veteran posters will perhaps blast this new member, but intrigued by this story, and hopeful that the Democratic operative(s) who perpetrated this scheme against Governor Ehrlich is/are identified.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

WhoisWhoisMD4Bush?

[spycatcher]

It's Karl Rove

[WhoisMD4Bush]

Here are some further excerpts for the story:

"February 8, 2005 — hours before the Post’s story appeared online — MD4Bush posted excerpts from the private e-mails to a Free Republic message board. MD4Bush had underlined damaging passages and only posted e-mails that NCPAC had written — even though according to Free Republic spokesman Kristinn Taylor, posting such private e-mails (or “freepmails”) without permission is a violation of Free Republic posting guidelines. MD4Bush then vanished from the site and has not posted since.

The most obvious explanation for this behavior is that someone who knew that Steffen was NCPAC set him up. The Post did not report this strange activity. Instead, on February 11 Mosk and David Snyder co-wrote a story headlined: “Uproar brings focus on role of bloggers.” The first half of the article focused on Free Republic, its history and its nature as a place where people traffic in rumors and gossip. But the last half posted more of the exchanges between MD4Bush and NCPAC. The Post chose paragraph 12 to reveal that MD4Bush “drew Steffen into a private conversation and appeared to coax him to share more details about his role in spreading the rumor.”

[kitchen]

Ping

MD4Bush had underlined damaging passages and only posted e-mails that NCPAC had written — even though according to Free Republic spokesman Kristinn Taylor, posting such private e-mails (or “freepmails”) without permission is a violation of Free Republic posting guidelines.

Check this out:

The first half of the article focused on Free Republic, its history and its nature as a place where people traffic in rumors and gossip.

Actionable? :)

[Sgt_Schultze]

Remembering the adage according to Cicero, cui bono? we find that...

This Guy has the most upside as fallout of this story.

He may not be MD4Bush, but I'm betting he knows them.

[Kay]

Welcome. I've been following this. Kristinn already posted excerpts from NRO today so this thread might get deleted. If so, don't take offense. SOP.

[Valpal1]

Who is MD4Bush? “We will find out,” Dave Collins told me. “I have full confidence it’ll come out.” In addition to the reporting of Collins and Miller, Joseph Steffen has retained a lawyer, who said he is attempting to get MD4Bush’s account information from Free Republic. Hopefully the truth will come out before it gets to that point.

Looks like there's already action.

[WhoisMD4Bush]

Perhaps. Whatever it is clear that according to published reports (if they are to be believed) here in Maryland, Governor Ehrlich's public image suffers as a result of this ordeal. It's not right.

[OKIEDOC]

Call me silly but what the hell is going on.

Can someone expand on or give an explanation of what happened so that some of us in the dark can be enlightened.

I don't doubt that the Democrats would use any means under the Sun to gain any kind of advantage over their Republican foes.

The radicals on the left would stoop without qualms to any dirty tricks to install their putrid brand on American politics.

One need only to listen to Geroge Soros, Howard Dean and others to get an idea that the use of force would not be out of the question.

I had a long conversation today with a fervent Kerry supporter in Boston.

He told me that under the leadership of Howard Dean that he was afraid that the Democratic party had taken a turn that even he could no longer support.

I am of the firm belief that all the radical rhetoric of the left is starting to bother some of this entrenched base.

There's nothing like letting the Democratic leadership shoot itself in the butt to get young people thinking about how nasty politics have gotten.

However, when you don't have values based on something more than abortion and socialists ideals then your pretty much rudderless in the sea of politics.

[APFel]

Read the linked article, it makes it all pretty clear.

APf

[OKIEDOC]

I read the article but was a little confused.

I went back and reread for clarification.

I'm not into Eastern politics.

It looks like to me that MD4Bush set this guy up.

If that is the case then his head needs to roll.

I always try to remember, as this guy should have when posting on this or any other web site, that there are nit pickers and a$$holes looking to make a fool out of most any poster.

These people seem to get their twisted jollies telling others just where they made a mistake.

Personally, I don't like what Felt did and certainly don't think much of what MD4Bush did.