'Deep Throat' is a patriot

Give Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein their due. For more than 30 years, they honored their promise to keep secret the identity of "Deep Throat," the confidential source who was privy to information about the June 17, 1972, burglary (and attempted cover-up) of the Democratic National Committee Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel .

On Tuesday, Vanity Fair magazine revealed that "Deep Throat" is W. Mark Felt, the then-acting associate director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Only after the magazine's bombshell disclosure of "Deep Throat's" identity did Woodward and Bernstein reveal the secret they had kept for more than 30 years. Former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee called the disclosure "the last act, the last unknown fact" about the series of events the led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon.

The morning after, Felt was held up by supporters as a "hero" who helped avert a constitutional crisis. Meanwhile, critics described him as a "corrupt" man who abused his high-ranking position of trust in the United States government.

Vanity Fair's revelation stirs the debate over the use of unnamed sources by newspapers and other media outlets. Felt's critics say he fed information to Woodward and Bernstein because he was angry about being passed over for top job at the FBI. But supporters say Felt — and other sources — turned over information because members of the Nixon administration, and Nixon himself, were obstructing justice.

What if Felt hadn't come forward? In 1972, Nixon won re-election by a landslide over Democratic challenger George McGovern. Nixon and top aides attempted to cover up the White House's involvement in the Watergate burglary. For a considerable length of time, the media and members of Congress downplayed the significance of the break-in. But Woodward and Bernstein — aided by Felt and possibly others — doggedly pursued information that eventually lead to Nixon's resignation on Aug. 8, 1974, and prison time for key aides John Ehrlichman; H .R. "Bob" Haldeman; E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy.

Some veteran government officials question why Felt worked with reporters instead of taking his concerns to Congress about White House interference with the FBI. Could it have been that Felt believed he was a potential target for an increasingly desperate president? After all, Nixon at one point urged using the Central Intelligence Agency to halt the FBI inquiry into the Watergate break-in.

Felt obviously felt divided loyalties. On several occasions, he flat-out denied that he had cooperated with Woodward and Bernstein, mostly because he feared that colleagues would consider him to be dishonorable, family members have said. History tells us that Felt, who played a key role in unraveling the Watergate scandal, is anything but dishonorable. He's a patriot.

Credit goes, too, to Woodward and Bernstein for their unwavering integrity to honor their promise to keep Felt's identity confidential. In an era when journalists are perhaps better known for fabrications and other abuses of the craft, the Watergate duo stand out as journalists and men of the highest caliber.