Mark Felt, a senior Federal Bureau of Investigation official, outed himself as Watergate source Deep Throat today. This ends more than thirty years of speculation--or does it? Reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein announced: "W. Mark Felt was 'Deep Throat' and helped us immeasurably in our Watergate coverage. However, as the record shows, many other sources and officials assisted us and other reporters for the hundreds of stories that were written in The Washington Post about Watergate." It's the statement's second sentence that perplexes me. For years, skeptics have wondered whether Deep Throat ever existed or was a composite of several sources. The cryptic reference to "many other sources" leaves me wondering if Woodward and Bernstein fear that Felt's admission will lead to an "I am Spartacus" moment, with Diane Sawyer, Pat Buchanan, Leonard Garment, Henry Kissenger, Al Haig, and every other would-be Deep Throat volunteering: "I am Deep Throat." Mark Felt is Deep Throat. Is he the one and only Deep Throat? Time will tell.
Felt acted cowardly then and now. The only principle in him coming out now is his family’s desire to cash-in before he dies. His only principle then was revenge for being passed over for the FBI's top spot. Neither one of those are compelling enough reasons for a man in his position is to act in the way he did. Instead of going to his superiors with the facts of the coverup/corruption and resign/go public if rebuffed, or go to a grand jury, or allow the investigation to go forward and let the facts come out, his solution was to use his post as the number 2 cop in the land to play partisan politics and enact revenge; hardly a heroic and courageous act.
Touche Finbar.
The only thing perhaps more ironic about all of this is that the press either directly and or indirectly despised the man because of the institution he was a part of. He was Hoover's henchman for goodness sakes. He did not get there by being necessarily "patriotic" or a "kind hearted" man but instead by doing some things that if his family ever knew in full detail might well sicken them. He has become the presses new hooker with a heart of gold so to speak. He, however, did a lot of hooking and really had a late breaking heart of gold.
The only thing perhaps more ironic about all of this is that the press either directly and or indirectly despised the man because of the institution he was a part of. He was Hoover's henchman for goodness sakes. He did not get there by being necessarily "patriotic" or a "kind hearted" man but instead by doing some things that if his family ever knew in full detail might well sicken them. He has become the presses new hooker with a heart of gold so to speak. He, however, did a lot of hooking and really had a late breaking heart of gold.
