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The Legend of Deep Throat - Was Mark Felt really a hero?
OPINION JOURNAL.COM ^ | JUNE 2, 2005 | PEGGY NOONAN

Posted on 06/01/2005 9:14:25 PM PDT by CHARLITE

Some wounds don't fully heal because they're too deep and cut too close to the bone. The story that Deep Throat was Mark Felt has torn open old wounds. Pat Buchanan, Robert Novak and Chuck Colson--all at the top of their game 30 years ago, all very much in the game today--were passionate in their criticism, saying Mr. Felt has little to be proud of, was unprofessional, harmed his country. Ben Stein was blunt: Mr. Felt "broke the law, broke his oath, and broke his code of ethics." Old Watergate hand Richard Ben-Veniste and the Washington Post's Richard Cohen called Mr. Felt a hero. The old battle lines fall into place. As to the higher themes of the story, some were credulous. On the "Today" show yesterday Chris Matthews called those who have criticized Mr. Felt "hacks and flacks," whereas reporters "are looking for the truth" and can be trusted. Glad he cleared that up.

Was Mr. Felt a hero? No one wants to be hard on an ailing 91-year-old man. Mr. Felt no doubt operated in some perceived jeopardy and judged himself brave. He had every right to disapprove of and wish to stop what he saw as new moves to politicize the FBI. But a hero would have come forward, resigned his position, declared his reasons, and exposed himself to public scrutiny. He would have taken the blows and the kudos. (Knowing both Nixon and the media, there would have been plenty of both.) Heroes pay the price. Mr. Felt simply leaked information gained from his position in government to damage those who were doing what he didn't want done. Then he retired with a government pension. This does not appear to have been heroism, and he appears to have known it. Thus, perhaps, the great silence.

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bernstein; courts; deepthroat; fbi; feltgate; hero; markfelt; noonan; richardnixon; scandal; washingtonpost; watergate; woodward
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1 posted on 06/01/2005 9:14:26 PM PDT by CHARLITE
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To: CHARLITE
Political events have a shelf life. This one rotted on the shelf before most of today's college kids were born.

Did anybody on the planet still care who Deep Throat was?

2 posted on 06/01/2005 9:18:09 PM PDT by Starve The Beast (I used to be disgusted, but now I try to be amused)
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To: CHARLITE

This is a pretty good Noonan.


3 posted on 06/01/2005 9:25:47 PM PDT by NutCrackerBoy
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To: Starve The Beast

Bob Woodward in the cross hairs.


4 posted on 06/01/2005 9:27:04 PM PDT by spyone
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To: CHARLITE
Heroes pay the price. Mr. Felt simply leaked information gained from his position in government to damage those who were doing what he didn't want done. Then he retired with a government pension.

Sorry Peggy, Michael Savage made this identical point yesterday.

5 posted on 06/01/2005 9:30:48 PM PDT by montag813
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To: Starve The Beast
Did anybody on the planet still care who Deep Throat was?

Uh, yeah. A lot of us have been waiting thirty years to find out.

6 posted on 06/01/2005 9:31:45 PM PDT by Capriole (I don't have any problems that couldn't be solved by more chocolate or more ammunition)
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To: spyone

I think you're right.

I think he counted on Felt being dead when it all came out.

And I don't think he counted on the greedy daughter.

Here's his side:

How Mark Felt Became 'Deep Throat'

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1414869/posts

and this is interesting as hell:

Felt tried to sell story to People in 2002

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1414841/posts


In the Prelude to Publication, Intrigue Worthy of Deep Throat

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/02/politics/02woodward.html?hp&ex=1117684800&en=489eb8edf71bb989&ei=5094&partner=homepage


7 posted on 06/01/2005 9:33:26 PM PDT by Howlin (Up or down on Janice Brown!)
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To: Howlin

Not content with taking down Nixon, Felt will now take down Woodward. This retired civil servant is about to go postal.


8 posted on 06/01/2005 9:37:22 PM PDT by spyone
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To: CHARLITE

He was a BF criminal. Nixon will be remembered as a martar sacrificed by the socialist in American government.... fantastic legacy.... the victorys write history, and the capitalist proudly won.


9 posted on 06/01/2005 9:38:44 PM PDT by Porterville (Don't make me go Bushi on your a$$)
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To: CHARLITE

Ben Stein is angry but not incorrect: What Mr. Felt helped produce was a weakened president who was a serious president at a serious time. Nixon's ruin led to a cascade of catastrophic events--the crude and humiliating abandonment of Vietnam and the Vietnamese, the rise of a monster named Pol Pot, and millions--millions--killed in his genocide. America lost confidence; the Soviet Union gained brazenness.

Leading us to Carter, his thumb twiddling/ sell-out of the Shah of Iran...

10 posted on 06/01/2005 9:43:07 PM PDT by elli1
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To: elli1
The only Republican my dad ever voted for was Richard Milhouse Nixon.

After the impeachment, my father told me President Nixon had been "set up."

He was right.

11 posted on 06/01/2005 9:44:38 PM PDT by Happy2BMe ("Viva La Migra" - LONG LIVE THE BORDER PATROL!)
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To: CHARLITE
I have yet to see a commentator mention that if Nixon hadn't been taken down by Watergate, that Vietnam would almost certainly not have fallen in 75'. This deep throat bozo, along with Walter Cronkite and others, have the blood of 2+ million people on his hands.
12 posted on 06/01/2005 9:45:45 PM PDT by narby (Ignorance is God’s gift to Kansas.)
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To: Porterville

Nixon was close to Socialist.

Capitalists are not in favor of wage and price controls,EPA, and a host of bureaucratic obstacles.


13 posted on 06/01/2005 9:49:29 PM PDT by Finalapproach29er (America is gradually becoming the Godless,out-of-control golden-calf scene,in "The Ten Commandments")
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To: elli1

"Leading us to Carter, his thumb twiddling/ sell-out of the Shah of Iran..."

And the author of the mess in the Middle East and 9/11 and the death of thousands of Americans.

Jimmah did this.


14 posted on 06/01/2005 9:50:31 PM PDT by garyhope
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To: Happy2BMe

Yes it is clear he was set up everyone knew Richard was hard on Communism even before McCarthy in the fifties.


15 posted on 06/01/2005 9:51:04 PM PDT by Judge Roy
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To: Judge Roy
President Bush stated today he was surprised the #2 man at the FBI had done this to Nixon.

He is wondering about now how many deepthroats there are active today.

16 posted on 06/01/2005 9:56:13 PM PDT by Happy2BMe ("Viva La Migra" - LONG LIVE THE BORDER PATROL!)
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To: Capriole
....Uh, yeah. A lot of us have been waiting thirty years to find out....

Good thing there were a jillion incompetent reporters looking into the case to find the truth. Whoops sorry, the press can't be bothered to actually investigate news.

More proof the press is incompetent. This guy was the obvious filth that would do this and all the reporters in the world couldn't find him.
17 posted on 06/01/2005 10:01:12 PM PDT by Joe_October (Saddam supported Terrorists. Al Qaeda are Terrorists. I can't find the link.)
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To: Happy2BMe
The only Republican my dad ever voted for was Richard Milhouse Nixon.

After the impeachment, my father told me President Nixon had been "set up."

I agree, you got to read 'The Amendment' by John Fitzgerald it's a novel that shines light on your fathers remarks. Nixon was set up'.
18 posted on 06/01/2005 10:01:44 PM PDT by bondsman
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To: Happy2BMe

Nixon wasn't impeached. He resigned to avoid impeachment. My mom always said that he should have burned the damned tapes.


19 posted on 06/01/2005 10:18:47 PM PDT by elli1
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To: Happy2BMe

I think Hillary even got her pound of flesh on the Watergate deal, Nixon knew the communist were in deep in this country he just apparently didn't know how deep. Sure wish he were here now as I bet he would lower the boom.


20 posted on 06/01/2005 10:25:25 PM PDT by Judge Roy
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