Thursday, June 02, 2005

"I'm the guy they used to call Deep Throat"

Thirty-one years after the historic resignation of President Richard Nixon, the identity of "Deep Throat," the legendary informer to then-Washington Post baby-faced reporters Bob Wodward and Carl Bernstein, has finally been confirmed, closing the books on the infamous Watergate scandal, and one of the great political mysteries of all time. At 91 and suffering from a debilitating stroke and memory loss, Mark Felt, the #2 man at the FBI under L. Patrick Gray during the early 70's, (the former assistant attorney general appointed by Nixon to replace the deceased J. Edgar Hoover), confirmed in an exclusive story in the July issue of Vanity Fair magazine, the news of which broke this week, that he was indeed the one who held 2 am clandestine meetings with Woodward to leak critical information that ultimately brought down an entire administration and sent many in it to Federal prison. Not surprisingly, he's been villified by the Right, accused of being a financial opportunist; an angry sore-loser; a law-breaking criminal; and a traitor. Sure, why cash out in '75 to buy a fancy car, beachfront house, flashy suits and live comfortably for the next 30 years when you can do it in 2005 and be big pimpin' on wheelchairs and Depends? Its reprehensible and utterly absurd to claim he's motivated by money. Next, Felt was supposedly miffed at being passed up for the #1 FBI spot. Rather, this career lawman was outraged at the supreme arrogance with which the Nixon gang defiled the Constitution and committed outrageous, unprecedented abuses of power. Lastly, Felt was a Hooverite; a hard line, old-school G-man who viewed the actions of these political thugs as an affront to all Americans and a threat to our Democracy. A traitor? Hardly. To the contrary, Felt was and is a true American hero. He served his country well, put his life and career on the line to defend the Constitution and history will judge him accordingly. Andy

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