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WSJ: Deep Secret? A wonder of American politics ia laid to rest?
Wall Street Journal ^ | June 3, 2005 | LEONARD GARMENT

Posted on 06/03/2005 5:44:32 AM PDT by OESY

It seems only civilized that every expiring political secret should get a decent burial....

...So why did many Deep Throat researchers -- especially insiders -- reject the idea of Mr. Felt? Because much information that Deep Throat provided was a matter less of specific facts about the Watergate investigation than about the nature of the Nixon White House. Deep Throat talked about the clockwork craziness the White House had become, about the sound of Nixon angry and the character of individuals involved in the cover-up. These insights were presented with the certainty of personal experience. But they were not within the first-hand knowledge of an FBI official, even a senior one.

It may yet turn out that there were composite elements in Deep Throat and that some of these insights came from sources other than Mr. Felt. Or it may be that Mr. Felt presented to Mr. Woodward as authoritative information some things that were first-hand observations, some that were reliable second-hand gleanings, and some that were more or less informed surmises.

It may not have mattered. While Deep Throat was talking, Watergate burglar James McCord was mitigating his probable sentence by spilling the beans to the federal grand jury under the direction of Judge John Sirica. In this drama, which led directly to the exposure of the Watergate cover-up, Deep Throat was a marginal player.

If Deep Throat was not critical to the unraveling of Watergate, then what was his importance? Perhaps it was to foster in American politics the idea that the central feature of our government is the secret knowledge held by those at the center of power, and that only through the bravery of whistleblowers like Deep Throat can the polity gain the keys to the secrets and the ability to reassert democratic control.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bernstein; deepthroat; fbi; felt; feltgate; garment; hoover; judgesirica; markfelt; mccord; nixon; sirica; siroca; washingtonpost; watergate; woodward
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Mr. Garment, former counsel to President Nixon, is author of "In Search of Deep Throat," (Basic Books, 2000).
1 posted on 06/03/2005 5:44:34 AM PDT by OESY
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To: Senator Kunte Klinte

Today's bloggers are the MSM's whistleblowers who introduce a badly needed external review of shoddy journalistic practices. One such abuse highlighted by the "Deep Throat" affair is the indiscriminate use of unnamed sources who can say anything a reporter like Woodward wants him/her to say.


2 posted on 06/03/2005 5:45:49 AM PDT by OESY
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To: OESY
Check this thread out!!!

What Everybody's Missing About Deep Throat (He Would Have Buried Watergate)

3 posted on 06/03/2005 5:50:29 AM PDT by MJY1288 ( By Comparison...."Dingy" Harry Reid makes Tom Daschle look like a Statesman)
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To: OESY

More and more of these idiots are calling him a "whistleblower". He was not. He was violating the trust of his position, in other words, breaking the law by revealing factoids about an on-going investigation.


4 posted on 06/03/2005 5:52:00 AM PDT by FrogMom
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To: OESY
If Deep Throat was not critical to the unraveling of Watergate, then what was his importance?

It was important to the establishment of the MSM as the real power in Washington.

5 posted on 06/03/2005 5:52:35 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi (9-11 is your Peace Dividend)
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To: FrogMom
More and more of these idiots are calling him a "whistleblower".

I am OK with that nomenclature. It only highlights the bias in the MSM. Remember Linda Tripp?! She was a 'whistleblower' spilling the beans on a White House coverup, but was never treated as such by the MSM.

6 posted on 06/03/2005 5:54:17 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi (9-11 is your Peace Dividend)
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To: OESY
...only through the bravery of whistleblowers like Deep Throat can the polity gain the keys to the secrets and the ability to reassert democratic control.

People keep saying how brave this guy was. He may have been right and just, proper and helpful toward salvation. He wasn't brave, at least as far as this story is concerned. He reported in secret and operated from the shadows.

I'm not sure what you do when the top cop is a crook. He may have felt he had no other viable path than to get it all in the public eye.

Nevertheless, when you can go to the local saloon and pound down a few with the object of your reporting, knowing full well he hasn't a clue you are the guy opening the trap door, well, this is NOT and act of bravery.

7 posted on 06/03/2005 5:56:06 AM PDT by stevem
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To: OESY
Interesting statement in a letter by James McCord to Judge Sirica:

"Following sentence, I would appreciate the opportunity to talk with you privately in chambers. Since I cannot feel confident in talking with an FBI agent, in testifying before a Grand Jury whose U.S. Attorneys work for the Department of Justice, or in talking with other government representatives, such a discussion with you would be of assistance to me." (Highlighting is mine)

link

8 posted on 06/03/2005 5:57:25 AM PDT by Enterprise (Coming soon from Newsweek: "Fallujah - we had to destroy it in order to save it.")
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To: MJY1288
Excellent thread, exposing not only Felt's true (and small-minded) motives, but also speculating what *might* have been, had Nixon realized what Felt was up to, and made him the head of the FBI.
Quoting now from John Robertson:

"Nixon finishes his term.

Finishes much of his agenda.

Ford, probably two terms, in spite of himself.

We would never have had to up with Jimmah Cahtah.

And probably no Clinton (southern governor, etc.).

Only two dem presidents in 40 years...Carter and Toon.

And if Nixon had given Felt the job, we wouldn't have had to put up with them.

The lingering "triumph" of the Left bringing down Nixon never would have saturated the culture.

And liberalism would be far, far paler than it is today.

9 posted on 06/03/2005 6:21:05 AM PDT by Redbob
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To: Enterprise
Here is something else McCord said under oath

James McCord of the Watergate burglars and CREEP (Committee for the Reelection of the President) testified before the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities on May 18, 1973 and was asked by Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) why the break-in was conducted. McCord replied, "Democratic national headquarters staff members" were "working closely with violence groups"… "which involved violence and demonstrations against our committee". When Senators Inouye, Lowell Weicker (R-CT), Ed Gurney (R-FL), and Howard Baker (R-TN) asked for more detail, in each case McCord repeated the "violence" reference but specifically – and only -- named the "Vietnam Veterans Against the War", accusing them as "a violence-oriented group" (Hearing pages 180, 200, 201, 223-24 and elsewhere, May 18 and 22 testimony).

10 posted on 06/03/2005 6:27:55 AM PDT by MJY1288 ( By Comparison...."Dingy" Harry Reid makes Tom Daschle look like a Statesman)
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To: MJY1288

Gee, Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Smells like Kerry.


11 posted on 06/03/2005 6:29:01 AM PDT by Enterprise (Coming soon from Newsweek: "Fallujah - we had to destroy it in order to save it.")
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To: Enterprise
Remember when Kerry said he wasn't a member when VVAW voted on whether or not to assassinate a few members of Congress who supported the Vietnam War?, Problem is, Kerry was a member at that time and at the time of Watergate, Kerry was running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives
12 posted on 06/03/2005 6:33:42 AM PDT by MJY1288 ( By Comparison...."Dingy" Harry Reid makes Tom Daschle look like a Statesman)
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To: OESY
I don't think the FBI, at the time of Watergate, had much respect for the constitution or anything else. It wouldn't surprise me if they had the White House bugged.

Deep Throat talked about the clockwork craziness the White House had become, about the sound of Nixon angry and the character of individuals involved in the cover-up. These insights were presented with the certainty of personal experience. But they were not within the first-hand knowledge of an FBI official, even a senior one.

13 posted on 06/03/2005 6:58:04 AM PDT by GOPJ
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To: Erik Latranyi

One person's "whistleblower" is another person's "snitch." "Snitch" is how the Clinton team portrayed Tripp, and the MSM picked up the ball and ran with it. And the MSM looked the other way - even cooperated - when the Clintonistas tried to dig up dirt on the personal lives of Starr's legal team. That was as bad or worse than anything Nixon did, and the press was complicit in it.


14 posted on 06/03/2005 7:15:07 AM PDT by Steve_Seattle
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To: Steve_Seattle

The Clinton coverup needs to be compared to Watergate at every turn. We must never let the nation forget the complicity of the MSM in this!


15 posted on 06/03/2005 7:24:00 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi (9-11 is your Peace Dividend)
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To: MJY1288
Reporter: "Senator Kerry, your group the VVAW once advocated the assassination of U.S. Senators. Do you now agree or disagee with that advocacy?"

Kerry: "Yes."

16 posted on 06/03/2005 8:01:11 AM PDT by Enterprise (Coming soon from Newsweek: "Fallujah - we had to destroy it in order to save it.")
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To: OESY
If Deep Throat was not critical to the unraveling of Watergate, then what was his importance?

He provided convenient cover for W&B to make up some of their story and to have other leakers provide info without fear of discovery.

17 posted on 06/03/2005 8:04:47 AM PDT by kabar
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To: OESY

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1415502/posts

What Everybody's Missing About Deep Throat (He Would Have Buried Watergate)
Self | June 2, 2005 | JohnRobertson


Posted on 06/02/2005 8:21:22 PM PDT by John Robertson


While many MSM'ers (sorry, most) are lionizing this guy as "a hero," someone who "did what he had to do," something big is being missed.

Our side has pointed out that he authorized/engineered illegal breakins himself...

And that he turned on the Whitehouse because he didn't get the top FBI job. Now think about that....

Felt became a snitch because he didn't get something he wanted! He was an opportunist, plain and simple (and it runs in the family, apparently, as they shamelessly say they urged the old man to do it so they could all get some money). Yeah, a real hero.

But here's what I haven't seen....

If they had made him the head of the FBI, he WOULD NOT have turned on the Whitehouse.

In fact, as head of the FBI....

HE WOULD HAVE HELPED THEM BURY WATERGATE!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1415502/posts


18 posted on 06/03/2005 8:36:10 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (The MSM has been a WMD, Weapon of Mass Disinformation for the Rats for at least 5 decades.)
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To: MJY1288

"Remember when Kerry said he wasn't a member when VVAW voted on whether or not to assassinate a few members of Congress who supported the Vietnam War?, Problem is, Kerry was a member at that time and at the time of Watergate, Kerry was running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives."

What US Senator from a famous family went to Nam to start the programming of Kerry in Nam and continued to program him to hate America after Kerry returned from Nam?


19 posted on 06/03/2005 8:38:29 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (The MSM has been a WMD, Weapon of Mass Disinformation for the Rats for at least 5 decades.)
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To: Erik Latranyi

> The Clinton coverup needs to be compared to Watergate at every turn.

Not only that, but clinton needs to be compared to President Nixon in the same way. And Nixon will have been found to be the better man.


20 posted on 06/03/2005 10:04:22 AM PDT by cloud8
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