Woodward is wasting no time cashing in

[WI_DEM]

His book on Deep Throat is going to hit the stores next month--called "The Secret Man"--I hope Mark Felt's family can get a good deal--but of course Bob Woodward will scoop him with his book. Felt should have had the decency to die, so Woodward could have had all the glory to himself.

[Cush]

1. He's probably pissed that Felt outted himself

Woodward probably had the whole "outing" thing planned.

[SteppingRazor]

2. Hell, if the book's out next month...

He probably had the whole thing already written, and was just waiting for Felt to knock off. Woodward is, if nothing else, a wonderfully canny opportunist.

[SaveElmer]

3. My understanding is...

That Woodward coordinated the book with the Felt family.

It would have been hard to write without his cooperation.

[EVDebs]

4. Now if Woodward served under Adm Moorer...

Has anyone ever heard of the Moorer-Radford spy ring ? Adm Moorer had a Yeoman Charles Radford spying on Nixon/Kissinger. This didn't get much press but Woodward served under Moorer as a lt. j.g. in naval intelligence.

Funny thing, Ben Bradlee also has an intelligence background. Maybe the WashPost has a hiring preference for former intell personnel. Don't tell Bernstein, or he'll have to re-write his seminal "The CIA and The Media" article for Rolling Stone Oct. 1977 !

Alexander Butterfield too has an intelligence background prior to his WH assignment. He's the guy who outed the taping system.

And don't forget the whole burglary crew--all CIA.

Now, when Gordon Strachan who 'tickled' for the second burglary which resulted in "Watergate", you have to ask 'was he CIA too ?'. By the way he was treated afterwards...you'd have to say affirmative.

Oh, and don't forget Robert F. Bennett

""I have told Woodward everything I know about the Watergate case, except the Mullen Company's tie to the CIA."--Robert F. Bennett, testifying before House Special Committee on Intelligence, July 2, 1974."

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/07.03.97/scoop-9727.html

Compartmentalization works wonders in the intelligence business.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. So far as I can tell

Woodward and Felt are close friends now. I'm sure he's not screwing Felt.

[WI_DEM]

6. I hope so

but Felt's family has been quoted as saying, "why should Woodward reap the financial windfall" and on Larry King Live last week Woodward said his book is not in connection with Felt.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

7. Well, if you want to get into a "why Should Woodward...?" discussion...

A) Woodward wrote the book and was a key component in this story. He has every right to do it, just as Felt has every right to write a book telling his side of the story. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

B) Felt didn't do it for the money. He did it because it was the right thing to do.

C) Felt could've written the book any number of years ago if he wanted to. Nothing really stopped him. And once Nixon and his crew were out of office, there was no remaining threat, if that's the route you want to go. He could've written this book as early as the Carter Presidency.

Since this isn't coming from Felt himself and since Felt didn't write the book when he had 30 years to do so, this sounds a lot more like it's a case of parasitic children than moral outrage. Woodward should share - but I don't think he's required to.