May 31, 2005
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TUESDAY POLITICS
Too cool for school. My favorite magazine (and the only one I subscribe to), Vanity Fair, has today broken the story that W. Mark Felt, former #2 man at the FBI, has admitted he was “Deep Throat,” the unidentified source used by Woodward and Bernstein (or Redford and Hoffman if that’s in your memory bank) to help uncover the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. Remember the scene (in All the President’s Men) that takes place between Redford and “deep throat” (Hal Holbrook) in the shadows of the parking structure? The script
says:
WOODWARD: John Mitchell resigned as head of CREEP to spend more time with his family. That doesn’t exactly have the ring of truth. (DEEP THROAT nods) Howard Hunt’s been found–there was talk that his lawyer had 25 thousand in cash in a paper bag.
DEEP THROAT: Follow the money. Always follow the money.Felt, a 91-year-old retiree living in California, kept the secret even from his family until 2002, when he confided to a friend that he had been Woodward’s source, the magazine said. “I’m the guy they used to call Deep Throat,” he told lawyer John D. O’Connor, the author of the Vanity Fair article, the magazine said in a press release. So far this morning, Woodward isn’t talking, but it’s obviously going to be the sexy news du jour and probably at least the week to come. W. Mark Felt is so private you can hardly Google any images of him but I bet he’ll have a lot less private life for the next few weeks as the media does its level best to cross the boundaries he’s kept in place all these years. I heard someone say on TV that they never did find out what the Watergate burglars were looking for. Only after Watergate though was the Freedom of Information Act really cemented so that Americans could find out just what the FBI has on them, among other things. For a little history of that click here. I guess this story has a tad more political relevance than the Michael Jackson trial, so I won’t mind watching how it unfolds. Maybe I’ll even watch the movie again.
Deep Thought: “You might think that the favorite plant of the porcupine is the cactus, but it’s thinking like that that has almost ruined this country.”
Today I am grateful for: The endangered filibuster
Guess the Movie: “This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.” Answer: The Matrix, 1999.
Winner: thenarrator.
Ex-FBI Official Says He’s ‘Deep Throat’
Magazine quotes him as saying he was ‘doing his duty’
W. Mark Felt, who retired from the FBI after rising to its second most senior position, has identified himself as the “Deep Throat” source quoted by The Washington Post to break the Watergate scandal that led to President Nixon’s resignation, Vanity Fair magazine said Tuesday. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: 8:40 pm
+ = Had a bunch of yardwork done today.
- = It cost bucks of course.
Comments (13)
Cool. The mystery finally unveiled?
The Matrix
Yup, the Matrix and thanks for the info about the Irish saga. Makes perfect sense. You rock.
Wow.
Sorry you were so tired yesterday.
Love the Matrix!
Matrix!
Ahh… someone else got it.
can’t wait to see how it plays out!
Just a tad more important than MJ. Anyone else sick of that? Love the matrix – Mr. Wizard!!
MSN has a picture of him. I never really thought that mystery would be solved.
Dear Lionne,
I saw this on my AP feed this morning, and by the time I had come home, the Washington Post had confirmed his story. He had told people that he wasn’t Deep Throat in the past, and that if he were he would have done more than Deep Throat did to “bring the government down”. Funny how you link the actual story with the movie.
I remember very well the Watergate crisis, which was televised every night. (Sen. Sam Erwin has not been in my head for decades until just his moment.) I was a Young Republican at the time, just out of high school, and had campaigned for Nixon in 72. After the hearings, I became very ashamed, and turned my back on politics. I didn’t even vote for almost 20 years after that.
Felt is a 91 year old man, and there are photos on Yahoo now that he’s “come out”. He thought he had done something wrong by telling “secrets” and felt that way for a long time. If not for his efforts, perhaps the Post wouldn’t have reported the breakin , impeachment proceedings would have never been initiated, and Gerald Ford would have never been President, which of course means Chevy Chase probably wouldn’t have become a national celebrity on SNL, and , well, the mind boggles.
Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool
so few mysteries left but I get the feeling Bush may create some more by the time he is done…
I particularly enjoy your Deep Thoughts.
I love how things eventually come to light in the political world, now the rest of the story on Watergate just might unfold!
I’ve been gone a long time but I am glad to get back and see that your still here writing about very interesting things! It’s good to be back!
Interesting post. I finally got the movie quote too
