He was the first major whistleblower of our time, and speculation on his identity was the topic of numerous books and articles until 2005, when his family revealed his part in the major political drama of the Sixties:

W. Mark Felt Sr., the associate director of the FBI during the Watergate scandal who, better known as "Deep Throat," became the most famous anonymous source in American history, died yesterday. He was 95.

Felt died at 12:45 p.m. at a hospice near his home in Santa Rosa, Calif., where he had been living since August.

Felt "was fine this morning" and was "joking with his caregiver," according to his daughter, Joan Felt. She said in a phone interview that her father ate a big breakfast before remarking that he was tired and going to sleep.

"He slipped away," she said.

As the second-highest official in the FBI under longtime director J. Edgar Hoover and interim director L. Patrick Gray, Felt detested the Nixon administration's attempt to subvert the bureau's investigation into the complex of crimes and coverups known as the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon.

He secretly guided Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward as he and his colleague Carl Bernstein pursued the story of the 1972 break-in of the Democratic National Committee's headquarters at the Watergate office buildings and later revelations of the Nixon administration's campaign of spying and sabotage against its perceived political enemies.

(originally posted on 09/08/05) The are so many great TDS clips, but this one got the most votes on the threads that I posted

TDS-oh so subtle, oh so sweet-and oh so visciously takes apart those that were supposed to protect us during a time of crisis.

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Stewart includes talking heads as well.

Other TDS clips that you can go to:

The Daily Show slams O'Reilly over using a year old "DS" Christmas bit.

Deep Throat and the Men who loathe him

The Saga of Chalabi

The Daily Show and the Michael Jackson Verdict

Dino Ironbody-The New Reporter

TDS on Press Briefings

Here's a few links to some older Jon Stewart posts. You can search in google on the site and find as many as you like.

TDS-Pope TV

August 17th, TDS and Justice Sunday,

June 1st- TDS and Deep Throat revealed.

June 14th--TDS and the Michael Jackson Verdict

Antonia Zerbisias, who became one of my favorites after she smacked O'Reilly around (see video and transcript) got a chance to ask some pointed questions to Deep Throat II.

"Woodward was in Toronto, giving a speech to major donors to the UJA. Before the gala dinner at the Royal York Hotel, he spoke to half a dozen reporters, including myself. You see, I had come loaded for bear, wondering why Woodward had been minimizing the Plame investigation in the previous week.... Woodward bristled at my questions, and actually accused me of ''conducting an interrogation." ...read on

Bob Woodward: Going Down?

Bob Woodward tells Time Magazine what he won't tell his own paper -- that a sudden attack of conscience compelled to come forward and tell Patrick Fitzgerald that Scooter Libby was not the first person within the administration to leak to a journalist -- something that is absolutely no help at all to Libby in his case. Libby is not charged with being the first to disclose the information to reporters, now is he?

It's nice that Woodward admits he's willing to go to such lengths to help Libby but wouldn't even tell his own paper what's going on until the last minute. Hell, he even told Ben Bradlee who Deep Throat was during the Watergate days. It's clear where Bob's loyalties lie. These are the actions of a political operative and not a reporter.

Bob got lucky in Watergate -- serving Bob Woodward also served the public interest for a moment in time. But since then the service of Bob's massive ego has meant trotting along behind the crooks as bootlick to power, and I think he is about to find out that in this instance a curious public will cut him even less slack than his compatriots in the WaPo newsroom.

(posted by Jane from firedoglake)

On Hardball Last night, Evan Thomas was discussing the historical impact "Deep Throat"

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Thomas: "Huge and relevant today in so many ways. That was the beginning of the end of executive power. When Deep Throat started talking to Bob Woodward, that was the beginning of something-really a tectonic shift. The executive branch lost power. The White House lost power. It was the beginning of the rise of the counterestablishment, the press, "The Washington Post." congressional investigators, special prosecutors. We had about three decades of that. Bush now is trying to swing it back.

I mean, that‘s very much-I think that‘s what the Bush presidency is about, actually, is pushing back against all those people who were chewing at their ankles for the last 30 years. All the-all the-all the journalists, all the prosecutors, all the lawyers, get rid of them."

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Just watch our Press Corp. in action yesterday and you can see how true this statement is. John Dean has repeatedly said that this White House is more secretive than Nixon's. Evan's comment flew under the radar in the segment but is a powerful indictment of how the White House handles and deals with the Press. The talking points coming out for the most part from the Liddy's and Buchanan's calling for his scalp are despicable. He's an American Hero.

Bush Anxious to Learn More of Deep Throat

Greatscat cued me to this article in the Washington Post.

President Bush said on Wednesday the disclosure that the former No. 2 official at the FBI was Watergate's "Deep Throat" source caught him by surprise and he's anxious to learn more details about his relationship with the news media.

"It's hard for me to judge" whether former deputy FBI Director Mark Felt provided a valuable public service or acted improperly, Bush told reporters.

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Since Bush has done everything in his power to make sure there are no "Deep Throats" in his administration, I doubt this took him by surprise at all. Porter Goss's shake-up over at the CIA is certainly an indication that the President wants to plug up any leaks that might come down the pike from there. He'll probably review the Watergate story more thoroughly to make sure he hasn't left himself with any more loose ends to tie up.

Medal of Freedom, Anyone?

via BlondeSense: Did anyone else see Ben Bradlee on Ted Koppel tonight? Koppel asked Bradlee what he thought of Pat Buchanan's comments that Deep Throat Mark Felt was not ...
Bradlee didn't even allow Koppel to finish.
Bradlee said, why should I see Buchanan or Gordon Liddy practically fresh from prison talk about Mark Felt and morality.... Felt couldn't go to Attorney General John Mitchell--who is worse? Mitchell or Gonzalez? Because Mitchell helped plan Watergate with Liddy in his office at the Justice Department. read on

There are deep throats out there already. Sore Throat

The Rude Pundit: All the President's Gates

Eric takes a look at him: The media includes many liars. But to claim that the US would have won the war in Vietnam, and also would have won a full-scale war in Cambodia, if only Mark Felt (Deep Throat) hadn't helped Woodward and Bernstein: that is the biggest lie told this year...read on