Free Republic

--Snip-- Nitkin: These questions most frequently come from within the Republican Party of Maryland. The state Republican Party is offering the theory that the former executive director of the Maryland Democratic Party, Josh White, left his post because of some connection to MD4Bush, the Internet identity of a person or persons who engaged former gubernatorial aide Joseph F. Steffen Jr. into talking about how rumors about Martin O'Malley's personal life had been spread. There's no evidence to back this up. White may have landed a new position, but he has not yet confirmed for us his new employer. Ryan O'Doherty...

--Snip-- Stuart, Baltimore: How come The Sun is not investigating the identity of "MD4Bush" and his possible ties to O'Malley? Nitkin: I've said repeatedly that The Sun is interested in learning the identity of the Internet poster who talked about O'Malley. The source of the information must come from the Web site itself, www.freerepublic.com. We've gotten some information from them. We'd like to get more. --Snip--

As Republicans and conservatives zero in on the identity of the mysterious Internet visitor who coaxed an aide to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. into spreading rumors about Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, a question is blossoming in political circles. Does the identity of MD4Bush, the surreptitious user of a conservative Web site, matter? If revealed, will the knowledge change the public's perception of O'Malley or Ehrlich? Some political experts say that the answer to both questions is yes and that it's worth following the plot turns in the increasingly convoluted saga. If MD4Bush turns out to be a Democratic Party...