How deep?

So we finally know who Deep Throat is.

Turns out he was former FBI official W. Mark Felt who was feeding information to Woodward and Bernstein (Hoffman and Redford?) at the Washington Post concerning the ongoing Watergate probe.

Felt, it turns out was the No. 2 man at the FBI, behind J. Edgar Hoover and had hoped to becomed the head when Hoover's reign ended. Didn't happen.

Today's morning news shows were all abuzz over the revelation. Two of the saddest comments I heard were on the Today Show. Charles Colson, who served time for his part in the Watergate crimes, said thet Felt has betrayed the trust of the president by helping the Post uncover the Nixon administration's crimes.

He was followed by former Nixon speechwriter Pat 'loose cannon' Buchanan, who came very close to calling Felt a traitor, stating that felt had impugned the integrity of one of the best, most popular presidents of this century. He implied felt should be treated -- and perhaps investigated -- as a criminal. How could anyone do that to Nixon?

What?

Making sure that crimes of a presidential administration come out so criminals can be prosecuted is a crime? Certainly, it was implied, the FBI investigation would have uncovered any little wrongdoings and nasty deeds, Colson and Buchanan whined.

Uh, would that be the same FBI with the brand-new head appointed by Mr. I-am-not-a-crook Nixon? Same one.

Despite the journalistic triumphs of this story and the heroic deeds of Mr. Felt, this story turns out to have a number of sad twists.

Among other press reports, from the Associated Press:

A book written and apparently autographed by the man who has revealed himself as Deep Throat, the long-anonymous source from the Watergate scandal, was being offered Wednesday for sale on eBay.
The seller of the book by W. Mark Felt said she purchased it at FBI headquarters in 1981, according to the Web site posting.

and from the Chicago Tribune:

While Felt's identity is now known, his motivation for being a source is less clear. He was not known to have a political agenda. And, in fact, he was not above some of the same tactics used by the Watergate burglars.
Felt was convicted and fined $5,000 for authorizing FBI agents in the early 1970s to illegally break into the homes of members of the Weather Underground, a radical antiwar group in the Vietnam era that had claimed responsibility for bombings at the Capitol and Pentagon.
But President Ronald Reagan in 1981 gave Felt a "full and unconditional" pardon in the case.

Again, from the AP:

Felt had expressed reservations in the past about revealing his identity, and about whether his actions were appropriate for an FBI man, his grandson said.
According to the article, Felt once told his son, Mark Jr., that he did not believe being Deep Throat "was anything to be proud of. ... You (should) not leak information to anyone."

and finally, the reason for the revelation from the 91-year-old stroke victim probably isn't for the purest of reasons.

His family members ... persuaded him to talk about his role in the Watergate scandal, saying he deserves to receive accolades before his death. His daughter, Joan, argued that he could "make enough money to pay some bills, like the debt I've run up for the children's education."

Make a few bucks. If that isn't the American Way, I don't know what is.

And so it goes.