Deep Throat

So now we know who 'Deep Throat' is!
And all the world is saying, "So what?"

The Right seems to be lining up to condemn him and the Left (those few who are old enough to remember and to care)are ready with their praise.

I suppose this time I have to agree with the leftists. No, I don't think that what he did was ethical or moral but I do think it was right, necessary and it should have been done. Really, he did it the only way he could. The fact that it brought down a President is the fault of the President, not his.

After all, Nixon didn't do anything that Kennedy hadn't done before him. Or Eisenhower or any other President, for that matter. All Nixon did was make the mistake of covering up to protect his friends. But because his friends had committed a crime, that was a bad idea.

Nixon not only did not order the break-in, he didn't even know about the attempt to bug Democratic headquarters and the planting of spies in Democratic campaign staffs until it all became public knowledge -- that is, AFTER "Deep Throat" did his little bit of dirty work.

What Nixon should have done was to say, "You made a mistake. I didn't order it and I didn't have anything to do with it so you can burn boys, burn." He chose, however, to try to protect his friends. That is understandable and there's even a certain honor in it, just as there would have been honor in "Deep Throat" keeping his big mouth shut. He was, after all, second to the top in the FBI. He had taken an oath; his loyalty was trusted even if he was passed over for promotion.

However, it was best for the country for "Deep Throat" to blow the proverbial whistle and although he could have done it differently, he did it in the most effective way. Certainly if he had done it another way he wouldn't have the monetary leverage he will have now that he has "outed" himself.

That brings me to another point: I'm no fan of the Washington Post but I do think they showed great restraint and great character in keeping the secret as they promised. I think it was shabby of "Deep Throat" (you notice, I hope, that I have restrained from using his correct name so far -- I'm embarrassed for him) to go behind Bob Woodward's back and give Vanity Fair the story when he decided to cash in on his identity. That was Woodward's story and Woodward deserved first crack at it. An honorable man would have given it to him.

"Deep Throat" and his family are obvious opportunists. It's painfully clear now that it wasn't the country that he was concerned about or ethics in government. He was, and is, just a petty little government pipsqueak out for revenge. He was wise to keep quiet all these years -- it has only been recently that the nation has lost enough of its morality to be able to honor such a person.

Watergate was the height of stupidity and immorality from start to finish. The nation was and is well rid of the people involved. It cleaned up the Republican party pretty effectively but did nothing to help the Democrats, who have proceeded to elect the likes of the Clintons, Barney Franks, John Kerry, Al Gore, Ted Kennedy et al again and again because of the mote in their own collective eye.

What the Democratic Party needs is to get caught -- they need their own "Deep Throat." Trouble is, those (like Vince Foster, Victor Raiser, Susan Coleman, Paul Wilcher and more) met untimely deaths. That's one more thing Republicans have over Democrats -- they are not murderers.