Grumpy Old Men

Woodward, Bernstein, Bradlee. Those three names brought down a U.S. President and rightfully so.

But, their muckraking efforts would not have mounted to much had it not been for Deep Throat. For 30 years, DT’s identity had surpassed the previous greatest secret of the media-age; the secret that Rock Hudson was gay.

OK, Doris Day knew, probably Errol Flynn, definitely Liberace, but that’s another blog topic.

Back to the Washington Post; following Nixon’s resignation in 1974, the Post and its troika rose to celebrity status. Today, the networks would launch a reality show to catch the zeitgeist that was occurring. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s bestseller later morphed into the movie, All the President’s Men;

DP: Follow the money.
BW: What do you mean? Where?
DP: Oh, I can't tell
you that.
BW: But you could tell me that.
DP: No, I have to do this my
way. You tell me what you know,
and I'll confirm. I'll keep you in the right
direction if I can,
but that's all. Just... follow the money.

Which brings me back to my point; why would the now-legendary reporters pooh-pooh DP/Mark Felt’s role in breaking Watergate wide open? (Post Story)

I subscribe to the old saw that says in the absence of the absolute truth, the simplest answer usually prevails.

Woodward and Bernstein are resentful that they kept their word to cover-up Mark Felt’s identity until his passing. Once Felt passed, W & B would be free to ID Deep Throat without contradiction. Millions in book sales passed by as the monthly magazine Vanity Fair got the scoop.

Woodward and Bernstein missed-out on a huge money-maker – naming ABC’s Diane Sawyer as their Deep Throat. Diane Sawyer, as a former Nixon aide, is a much sexier story than a 91-year old, frail, former FBI big wheel.

Although, future historians would note Mark Frist did live on a street called Redford Place; a sure conspiracy theory, leading to more books, and new reality shows.