Deep Throat, the mystery man who reigned as Washington's best-kept secret source for more than 30 years, was not just any shadowy, cigarette-smoking tipster in a raincoat.

He was the No. 2 official of the F.B.I., W. Mark Felt, who helped The Washington Post unravel the Watergate scandal and the presidency of Richard M. Nixon, a feat that he lived to see disclosed on Tuesday, frail but smiling at 91.

(See New York Times, June 1st 2005)

Remarks:

Scooped by Vanity Fair... the Washington Post confirms Mr. Felt's role as "Deep Throat".

I guess they should have paid closer attention.

I'm glad he finally stepped (shuffled) forward! I had long wondered just who did that.

Personally, I don't believe Mark Felt was a shiny knight here either, and being the number # 2 man at the time, he certainly was no saint.
The real question most people were concerned about at the time, was why the forbidden files were broken into and for what reasons?
Personally, I believe more people should have been investigated for more wrong doings and for tampering with government files than the Guinea Pigs found, but of course, we can chalk that up to history & politics can't we, and sweep the rest under the carpet. Mark Felt is no hero!

From the military perspective or police, fireman... anyone that puts themselves in harms way to serve and protect... there are no heros in the body politic... and certainly not in the Watergate or Iran-Contra (etc.) affairs.

There have been too many acts of courage that have gone unrecognized and too many administrative awards of medals as it is.

So, personally, I take the hero out of the equation right up front.

What Mr. Felt's motivations really were... we will probably never know... revenge for being passed over... is certainly high on the list.

I think the "myth" of his involvement, far exceeds the actual involvement... but he can certainly be credited... early on... for keeping the young reporter on the story... before there was a story... insisting almost...

Mr. Felt was clearly "one of them", FBI and obviously participated in the illegal acts committed by "them" against civilians... was later prosecuted for some of those activities.

You may remember... the Weather Underground... a radical group, which was also never "caught" in whole... they were responsible for "breaking the news" on the FBI's break-ins etc.

It happens that they got the bright idea to breakin to a FBI office in PA, where they uncovered live files of many of the FBI's clandestine and illegal activities.

I have seen it over the years in business... as a CIO... the CFO says "Why don't we just copy all this software to all these computers... why do we have to pay for a separate copy?"

"Because it is illegal...!?" I'd say.

"Yeah, but who would ever know!?" he'd say.

The illegality was not enough when it came to thousands of PC's times hundreds of dollars.

Then I would explain how everyone could know and that as the CIO... I was ultimately liable, not him... so take your fat arse back down the hall and never bring it up again.

Small story... but it happens every day... FBI, ENRON... every day... Anderson, Tyco, WorldCom!

So... the "Truth" comes from strange sources...

...and investigators use the "weak link" everyday, talk nice to mudsuckers to get them to "turn"... or Mafia to "flip" when faced with long prison terms... take info from anyone, no matter what their axe to grind is...

It is funny, however... even after all these years... Democrats are eager to use this sad episode to bash Republicans... and often, Republicans... caught in the glare... defend Nixon's record...

Politics and the selfishness of the individual are never separated by much.

Nixon undermined the Constitution of the United States... the same one he swore to uphold... just like I did.

He picked his henchmen off one by one, as the trail got closer to him... until... in the end... there was no where to hide and everyone Democrat and Republican alike... just wanted it to go away.

Do I think it bears any relationship to the ideology of the Republican party... or do I think the Democrats have anything to crow about?

Absolutely NOT!

But I will take the Truth, in the form of revenge... to stop the rampant and blatant illegality and fraud perpetrated on the American public any day...

...including a chubby, admitted gold digger, with a stained blue dress...