Giant Popsicle Melts, Floods NYC Park

The above title says it all.

Felt: Noble or Not?

After reading David Broder's editorial in today's Washington Post, I can't help but take exception to one of his closing statements:

To get a balanced view of what Felt did in becoming a source for the Watergate reporters, it is wise to bypass Colson and Buchanan and listen to William Ruckelshaus.

As deputy attorney general, he followed the example of his boss, the late Elliot Richardson, and resigned rather than carry out Nixon's order to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox.

When I interviewed Ruckelshaus last week, he said there were obvious dangers when "somebody who is involved in an investigation," as Felt was involved in the FBI's investigation of the Watergate break-in, "puts out information to the press. You can hurt innocent individuals and damage the investigative process.

"But if you see the White House and the head of the FBI [L. Patrick Gray] interfering with the investigation, what are you going to do? If you go public with the charges, who is going to believe you?"

Mark Felt did what whistle-blowers need to do. He took his information to reporters who diligently dug up the evidence to support his well-founded suspicions.

I have just one question for Mr. Broder: "Why didn't Mr. Felt follow the examples of Richardson and Ruckelshaus and resign first?"

Identity: Revealed

At last one of the great political secrets of the last century has been revealed: Mark Felt was Deep Throat. Why now? Why did he do it all? Why go to the press? No easy answers are available.