Deep Throat Redux

By now I think most of us, including those too young to have lived through Watergate, know that “Deep Throat” was the appellation given by Woodward and Bernstein to the then anonymous source of the multiple scandals surrounding the “third rate burglary” that led to Richard Nixon’s resignation. This was a secret held by these journalists for more than thirty years until Mark Felt, a man lower on the totem pole than most of us suspected, revealed his role. This has been confirmed by Woodward and Bernstein.

We now have a Twenty First Century parallel in the person who recorded the famous 47% speech to a group of fifty grand a plate guests at a campaign dinner in Boca Raton, Fla. Ironically both Romney and Nixon were done in by electronics. We know that the recording was unearthed by James Earl Carter III, grandson of the former president, in what I consider a textbook example of poetic justice, and made public by David Corn, a reporter for Mother Jones Magazine. The identity of the person who installed the recording device is not known.

Obviously this person was not one of the guests and probably an employee at the establishment where the speech was made who didn’t see eye to eye with the assemblage. It’s a good bet that he, assuming the perpetrator was male, was one of the “minority” Romney said would never vote for him.

I can think of at least for one reason why Mark Felt kept his Deep Throat identity a secret until he was ninety one and I bet you can too. The same circumstances apply to our new super patriot. Where Deep Throat laid a trail directing others to Nixon’s hideout, this guy led us by the hand directly to Romney himself. There he is, talking to his gang and saying that he is “not concerned” with nearly half the people he is asking to elect him president.

Romney has been fairly accused of taking opposing positions, occasionally in the same day. But I say there is a real Mitt and you heard him in Boca Raton talking to the hoity toity, not posing as a “moderate” governor speaking to the hoi polloi of Massachusetts. When people, particularly politicians, say conflicting things to friends and the public you know which one to believe.

We may never know who our hero is. Like Mr. Felt he may have cause to feel constrained from coming out until he’s old enough not to give a damn. What a shame not to be able to honor him in some way. At least Felt could take pride in hearing the mention of Deep Throat. I think it fitting and proper that we give this guy a moniker as long as he chooses anonymity. The best I can come up with is “Deep Mike.” But I suppose in keeping with tradition of Woodward and Bernstein the choice should be left to the person most likely to know his identity and a hero in his own right, James Earl Carter III.