A sneak is not a hero

I don’t yet have a definite opinion about Mark Felt, a.k.a. Deep Throat, so I look for further insights wherever I can find them. This, by Daniel Finkelstein in the London Times, is telling:

Mark Felt’s own view of his actions is … more instructive than anything Woodward has to say. He denied for years being Deep Throat—“It was not I and it is not I”. And, asked if it would be so terrible if he had been the source, he replied: “It would be terrible. This would completely undermine the reputation that you might have as a loyal, logical employee of the FBI.”

And I agree. A top official of the FBI has no business skulking around near parked cars, leaking confidential information about criminal investigations. His disgust with the Nixon White House was justified, but he should have expressed it openly and, if necessary, resigned.

As Peggy Noonan, a Reagan speechwriter, put it: “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 … heroes pay the price.”

As it was, he let others take “the blows and the kudos”, watching silently as other Nixon officials were accused of using Woodward for various underhand purposes. This, too, was distinctly unheroic.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at June 07, 2005 06:43 PM | Send