'Some Kennedy people were involved': Mark Blumenthal has a terrific post on Mark 'Deep Throat' Felt (via Mickey) and the Nixon White House's venal attempt to tie Ted Kennedy and anti-war lefties to the attempted assassination of George Wallace. Bob Woodward used the FBI Felt as a source in that pre-Watergate investigation, showing Felt's pattern of opposing White House abuses. ... But I still think people like Mark and Mickey and others are missing an important point about Felt's relationship with Bob Woodward: the pre-Wallace/Watergate paternal friendship between the two, as noted by yours truly a few weeks ago and made abundantly clear in Woodward's recent story, even though Woodward seems to feign ignorance of Felt's motives. Repeat: Would Felt have leaked to anyone other than Woodward? Wasn't it Woodward who pursued Felt on both the Wallace and Watergate stories? Could there be an element of vanity at work in Woodward's professed ignorance of Felt's motives? After all, saying Felt might have taken pity on a cub reporter isn't exactly the heroic stuff of journalistic legends. ... Also repeat: Felt was no saint and was playing a complex power game with many motives at work. But he wasn't a devil either. I admire the guy, warts and all.

FYI -- Mickey also engages in a lot of splendid Kerry bashing, if the Felt topic bores you too much.

Update -- Someone wrote in to say that maybe Woodward is feigning ignorance of Felt's motives "so as not to tarnish the romantic image of Watergate." Perhaps true. Likely even. But their pre-Wallace/Watergate friendship intrigues and, I believe, explains something about Felt's motives ...

Update II - 6.13.05 -- Well, there goes part of my theory. Felt did talk to other reporters. But the Woodward-Felt friendship was close and Woodword did seem to get more out of him. ... OK, I'm backpeddling here.  ¶ 7:51 AM