"Deep Throat's" Legacy?

[thetrailboss]

I consider him a hero because he helped reveal the corruption that was going on in the Nixon Administration, but a part of me wonders if he has set a bad precedent. :-?

Really interesting story...have reserved "All the President's Men" to view with Ms. Trailboss (she asked me WHO Deep Throat was!!) :blink:

What do you think?

 

[madman]

I dont see how exposing corruption could set a bad precedent! He was very brave to expose what he did at that time. Have to give credit to Woodward + Burnstein they told no one his ID even under great pressure to do so. They at least saved his career if not his life by there silence. We need more men like these today

 

[dmc]

Nixon was doing everything he could - including breaking the law - to hide what he was doing...
Felt did what he needed to do - including breaking the law - to expose it...

Kinda ironic actually...

 

[tree_skier]

Although what he exposed was certainly wrong and did happen it has led to a climate of utter lies and deception. By alowing unnamed sources it fostered what we have today where documents are forged and lies are printed as facts to try to discredit someone of an opposing political view. Some of these lies have led to the deaths of our servicemen.

Thus hero is far to strong of a word for someone who hid under the the anninimity of Deep Throat.

 

[JimG.]

Hero? Please spare me. He was a disgruntled employee who had a beef with his boss and ratted him out to get even.

Did Nixon deserve it? Yes, what he did was illegal and stupid. But this guy is no hero. This was the second in command at the FBI who used classified info to his advantage and leaked that info to the press. Do you think I'll be talking to any FBI agents about sensitive info (as if I had any, but assume I did) knowing that high level officials might use that info for personal reasons? Hell no!

I think he has undermined the FBI for years to come in that regard. Besides that, he never considered himself any hero until his family convinced him he was in his old and frail years, and I'm sure they did that to cash in before he dies. Take the whole lousy bunch of them and put 'em in the sewer with the other rats.

You want a hero from Watergate? That would be the man who kept his mouth shut, G. Gordon Liddy.

 

[dmc]

Hero? Please spare me. He was a disgruntled employee who had a beef with his boss and ratted him out to get even.

He may've had a beef with the FBI but maybe it was jusified... Will we ever know for sure?

 

[SkiDog]

Hero? Please spare me. He was a disgruntled employee who had a beef with his boss and ratted him out to get even.

Did Nixon deserve it? Yes, what he did was illegal and stupid. But this guy is no hero. This was the second in command at the FBI who used classified info to his advantage and leaked that info to the press. Do you think I'll be talking to any FBI agents about sensitive info (as if I had any, but assume I did) knowing that high level officials might use that info for personal reasons? Hell no!

I think he has undermined the FBI for years to come in that regard. Besides that, he never considered himself any hero until his family convinced him he was in his old and frail years, and I'm sure they did that to cash in before he dies. Take the whole lousy bunch of them and put 'em in the sewer with the other rats.

You want a hero from Watergate? That would be the man who kept his mouth shut, G. Gordon Liddy.

AMEN.....

We arent supposed to KNOW...everything.

M

 

[dmc]

AMEN.....

We arent supposed to KNOW...everything.

M

WHAT??? Why not?

It's our Government...
Unless it threatens national security - Id better damn well now about it...

 

[SkiDog]

AMEN.....

We arent supposed to KNOW...everything.

M

WHAT??? Why not?

It's our Government...
Unless it threatens national security - Id better damn well now about it...

If you really think that...IMO youre sadly mistaken...there are "things" we shouldn't know in the interest of "national security" like you said..how would we even know Nixons TRUE motives for his corruption?

"deep throat" was, like earlier mentioned, a disgruntled employee. you'd be put in jail if you stole secrets from your company because they fired you...

M

 

[JimG.]

Hero? Please spare me. He was a disgruntled employee who had a beef with his boss and ratted him out to get even.

He may've had a beef with the FBI but maybe it was jusified... Will we ever know for sure?

We will never know; I'm sure it was justified to him when he did it, but that doesn't make him a hero.

 

[thetrailboss]

I'm getting the sense that I should have listed the first option as, 'his actions were justified' as opposed to using the term, 'hero.'

 

[Stephen]

A hero would have come forward with the information even without the shroud of secrecy. Felt would have kept his mouth shut if he knew he would be outted immediately.

He was pissed because he was passed over for the top spot at the FBI. Nixon correctly dertermined 1) Mini-Hoover (Felt was J. Edgar Hoover's #2 man) would be a bad choice to continue the power corruption at the FBI and 2) Felt had some obvious character flaws and inability to keep secrets secret which Nixon intuitively figured out.

Not only do I not consider him a hero, he's a felon and should now be charged. This is the same hero who was CONVICTED of raiding "hippie" groups offices in the same manner that Watergate was raided. Not even John Ashcroft has gone that far.

So praise your hero, you hypocrites.

/rant

-Stephen

P.S. YIKES! Post #666...

 

[JimG.]

I'm getting the sense that I should have listed the first option as, 'his actions were justified' as opposed to using the term, 'hero.'

No boss, you did good. The "hero" thing is all over the press and I think it promotes spirited debate.

 

[dmc]

I'm getting the sense that I should have listed the first option as, 'his actions were justified' as opposed to using the term, 'hero.'

No boss, you did good. The "hero" thing is all over the press and I think it promotes spirited debate.

Lots of people do things cause they think it's in the best interest of the country not to be heros..

Kinda like Jack Bauer on 24.... Man I wish he was a real guy...

 

[thetrailboss]

I'm getting the sense that I should have listed the first option as, 'his actions were justified' as opposed to using the term, 'hero.'

No boss, you did good. The "hero" thing is all over the press and I think it promotes spirited debate.

OK. Cheers! The intent was to get some good discussion going in here and some varied view points. They had a great show about this topic and very debate on NPR yesterday...just go to the archives of the website: www.theconnection.org

This is the same hero who was CONVICTED of raiding "hippie" groups offices in the same manner that Watergate was raided. Not even John Ashcroft has gone that far.

So praise your hero, you hypocrites.

Little harsh, don't you think, Stephen?

 

[Stephen]

Little harsh, don't you think, Stephen?

Possibly. I'm a bit emotional over this one, so I should probably go cool off somewhere. Like outside.

However, the same people who were vocal about an overpowered government official (Ashcroft) POSSIBLY getting access to our lists of library books are now holding up as a "hero" a corrupt official who DID capture information as a violation of civil rights AND redistributed it to the public.

Looks like the difference between a "villian" and a "hero" is whether they work for or against a Republican administration.

-Stephen

 

[dmc]

Looks like the difference between a "villian" and a "hero" is whether they work for or against a Republican administration.

wow... hardly...
I would consider Colin Powell a hero cause he stood up to GWB probably knowing that he'd get crap for it.. I'd consider Cristy Whitman a hero cause she stood up to GWB too...

Funny how they both don't work for him anymore... hmmmmm..... Do I sense a trend here???

You don't play the republican victim very well

 

[Stephen]

I would consider Colin Powell a hero cause he stood up to GWB probably knowing that he'd get crap for it.. I'd consider Cristy Whitman a hero cause she stood up to GWB too...

Thanks for proving my point, dmc! Always knew I could count on you.

-Stephen

 

[dmc]

I would consider Colin Powell a hero cause he stood up to GWB probably knowing that he'd get crap for it.. I'd consider Cristy Whitman a hero cause she stood up to GWB too...

Thanks for proving my point, dmc! Always knew I could count on you.

-Stephen

I guess it really doesnt matter to me... I mean the administration in power is always going to get crap...
Just to continue my horibly skewed point...
Right now - I think George Venovich(R Ohio) is awesome for standing up against Bush... the fact that he's a friend of the family aside
(He's a friend on my Mom and Dads from high school)

But I support him not because he's a republican - but because he believes in what I believe.. At least about this...

I supported Colin Powell because of his "Powell Doctrine" not because he was a republican... I supported Wittmans environmental policy too because I agree with it...

I don't support the other people in Bush's cabinet cause I think they are his tools...

 

[Stephen]

I don't understand this idea that one should fill his/her cabinet with people that disagree with them.

Are there examples of other administrations that have done this?

-Stephen