# Was George Bush Sr. Deep Throat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 5, 2005, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500 "2005-02-05T07:23:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![AmericanMaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/61 "2005-05-31T16:38:07Z")
Come on people, I can’t be the only one thinking it - they’re giving us a non-denial denial 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/62 "2005-05-31T16:49:37Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > L. Patrick Gray, in the parking garage, with the ice pick. In the Original Thread, I called the FBI. What do I win? ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/63 "2005-05-31T17:02:47Z")
No, he appears to be a gag and spitter. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/64 "2005-05-31T17:20:53Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Woodward and Bernstein’s refusal to confirm or deny that W. Mark Felt is Deep Throat makes no sense. If he was Deep Throat, is there any good reason not to confirm this, now that he has revealed himself? If he was not Deep Throat, is there any good reason not to deny his claim? > > Their refusal to comment on Felt’s claim only adds to the suspicion that Woodward and Bernstein may eventually give a false answer to who Deep Throat is, with that deceased person unable to defend himself against their claim. They have to protect their reps, to ensure that future tipsters will approach them. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/65 "2005-05-31T17:34:01Z")
It also sounds like W&B are a little bit concerned that 1.) Felt might not be totally in his right mind (he is 91, after all), and 2.) his family is putting him up to coming forward. So that could be why they don’t feel right about confirming it. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/66 "2005-05-31T17:41:42Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > They have to protect their reps, to ensure that future tipsters will approach them. As a former journalist, I understand the basic principle of protecting one’s sources. But why should they hesitate to confirm that W. Mark Felt is Deep Throat _after he himself revealed this_? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/67 "2005-05-31T17:46:15Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > I had thought Deep Throat was none other than Nixon himself. It was, actually, but when he met with Woodward & Bernstein in the parking deck he used the name “Tyler Durden”. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/68 "2005-05-31T18:45:45Z")
Coincidentally, I just re-read All the President’s Men and The Final Days this weekend, and I had come to the conclusion that a) Deep Throat was with the FBI, and b) Deep Throat was someone who was not mentioned otherwise in the books – which lets out Ben Stein, Patrick Buchanan, Patrick Gray, and others who were quoted. One thing that struck me on this reading was that other sources repeatedly complained to Woodward and Bernstein that they clearly had access to the FBI reports – in fact, several sources just assumed that all of the information in their articles came from those reports. Since Woodward and Bernstein said that they did not have access to the reports, they must have been getting the FBI information from somewhere, and Deep Throat seems the most likely source. It doesn’t surprise me that the reporters wouldn’t want to confirm Deep Throat’s identity until they had talked with him and made sure that he was O.K. with being outed – Mark Felt is an old man in ill-health and apparently somewhat confused at times. I’m very anxious to find out the truth, though. I hope we get a definitive answer soon. ---
**Author:** ![Leviosaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Leviosaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leviosaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/69 "2005-05-31T20:25:42Z")
Every time someone reveals a new conclusion about Deep Throat’s identity, there has been a media blitz and sales of _All the President’s Men_ go up. Cynical me says that W&B are refusing to confirm Felt because then they get to have yet another media blitz when Felt dies. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/70 "2005-05-31T21:35:13Z")
CNN breaking news: > [@](#): > > Washington Post says ex-FBI official W. Mark Felt is “Deep Throat” source of leaks about Nixon’s Watergate coverup. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/71 "2005-05-31T21:36:39Z")
[This Washington Post article](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/31/AR2005053100655.html) (free registration probably required) says that Woodward and Bernstein have confirmed that W. Mark Felt was Deep Throat. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/72 "2005-05-31T21:41:35Z")
The [Washington Post](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,158180,00.html) confirms it. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/73 "2005-05-31T21:52:41Z")
Ha. I just spent the afternoon listening to George Liddy say he thinks it’s a buncha bull. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/74 "2005-05-31T22:13:46Z")
Well, there’s a good nonbiased source. Liddy still thinks that the whole Watergate plan was John Dean’s. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/75 "2005-05-31T23:11:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The [Washington Post](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,158180,00.html) confirms it. From the same article: > [@](#): > > In a statement issued on Tuesday, Woodward and Bernstein confirmed Felt’s role in their reporting. While that’s different than saying “Felt was Deep Throat”, it lends credence. I think Deep Throat was a composite and Felt was one. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/76 "2005-05-31T23:16:12Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > While that’s different than saying “Felt was Deep Throat”, it lends credence. > > I think Deep Throat was a composite and Felt was one. From the CNN article: _“W. Mark Felt was ‘Deep Throat’ and helped us immeasurably in our Watergate coverage,” according to a statement issued by Woodward and Bernstein._ ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/77 "2005-05-31T23:17:50Z")
[Sayeth CNN:](http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/05/31/deep.throat/index.html) > [@](#): > > “W. Mark Felt was ‘Deep Throat’ and helped us immeasurably in our Watergate coverage,” according to a statement issued by Woodward and Bernstein. So, that’s that. Felt says he’s DT, W&B say he’s DT, previous experts have speculated that Felt, or someone in Felt’s like position, was DT. I see no reason to suggest otherwise, or do anything but extend to him a laurel and hardy handshake for his role in bringing down Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/78 "2005-05-31T23:25:06Z")
Cue [Fat Lady](http://www.nndb.com/people/956/000043827/). I wonder how long before [Wikipedia updates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Felt) (they already mention the _Vanity Fair_ article. Woodward was on David Letterman a few years back and, when pressed by Letterman to reveal Deep Throat, finally said “Alright, you heard it here first… Lorne Greene.” ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/79 "2005-06-01T00:39:46Z")
W@B said there was a clue in the book (or was it the movie script?). Woodward referred to Deep Throat as My Friend. I was watching MSNBC and G. Gordon Liddy was right in the middle of explaining _why_ it couldn’t be Mark Felt when the news came that Woodward had confirmed it. Even then he insisted that it _had_ to be a composite. Then I listened to Patrick Buchanan talk about what a disgusting thing it was that this man had betrayed his position at the FBI by leaking information. :rolleyes: Did any of you notice this post from February? > [@](#): > > **Jimmmy** : This whole thread and no shout out for my favorite candidate the FBI’s W. Mark Felt? > > SLATE summarizes some of the points … but two me the strongest element is that weakness of any 3 person secret - somebody talked: Bernstein’s son Jason told his camp buddies his Dad told him it was Felt and Bernstein’s ex-Nora Ephron said the same. > > Felt was a stroke victim 6 years ago and it is not impossible he is slipping … He wins the prize… ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500/80 "2005-06-01T01:41:00Z")
Mr. Bernstein: Loose lips sink ships. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-george-bush-sr-deep-throat/288500.md?page=5)