Patting the wrists, rolling the eyes.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by Sexual Harassment Panda
I hope everyone here is as impressed as I am by your attempt to argue that Felt's midnight rendezvousssess with W&B provided sufficient information to constitute an ethical lapse, but were inadequate to rise to the level required for an excuse for that lapse. As noted by RT, there weren't a lot of people he could have reported this to at the time. I look forward to your fleshing out this argument. You may begin.

Hank just likes the way a fence feels when it's nestling in his butt-crack.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by Spanky
I agree with Tyrone. I think it was just sour grapes. Anyone that could be Hoover's number two man could not be all that concerned about the integrity of the institution. He got passed up for the top job and bit back.

Undoubtedly. But despite his shitty motives, what he did benefitted the country.

The argument that he should have "disclosed" is naive at best. First, disclose to whom? What prosecutor would have done anything about this? Hank suggests that he should've disclosed to 60 Minutes -- but 60 Minutes isn't a prosecutor, and he disclosed to a news organization.

We all know, or should know, what would've happened if the disclosure had been public. The Admin would have immediately gone into full destruction mode -- destruction of evidence, and destruction of character. They would've smeared him as a sour-grapes purveyor of falsehoods, and possibly worse, and by doing this they would've drawn public attention away from the facts of the crime committed and towards the allegations about the accuser. As Hoover's former No. 2, he knew this better than anyone.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
Undoubtedly. But despite his shitty motives, what he did benefitted the country.

Kinda like the way that everyone pursuing their own selfish interests in the free market often produces the optimum allocation of resources.

OK, maybe only a bit like that.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch

We all know, or should know, what would've happened if the disclosure had been public. The Admin would have immediately gone into full destruction mode -- destruction of evidence, and destruction of character. They would've smeared him as a sour-grapes purveyor of falsehoods, and possibly worse, and by doing this they would've drawn public attention away from the facts of the crime committed and towards the allegations about the accuser. As Hoover's former No. 2, he knew this better than anyone.

Look, let's stop projecting yesterday's events to today's media and political culture.

What Deep Throat did, and when he did it, should be viewed within the prism of its time. It was during a war, with soaring gasoline prices, and the nation had a president that some people felt wasn't being entirely candid with the American people. It was a totally different era, people, and temptations to compare the two are naive.*
















* Concept (c) TDS.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch


We all know, or should know, what would've happened if the disclosure had been public. The Admin would have immediately gone into full destruction mode -- destruction of evidence, and destruction of character. They would've smeared him as a sour-grapes purveyor of falsehoods, and possibly worse, and by doing this they would've drawn public attention away from the facts of the crime committed and towards the allegations about the accuser. As Hoover's former No. 2, he knew this better than anyone.

It was interesting to hear the (unerased) tapes of Haldeman and Nixon speculating it was Felt, but that he would go public with everything if they tried to out him. Classic prisoner's dilemma, at least of a sort.

It's an interesting question whether, at any given point, there was already enough evidence that it would have hastened the fall or if it could have cut off the investigation. I suspect that by the time Nixon and others knew it was Felt, there was already enough info that the die was cast.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Look, let's stop projecting yesterday's events to today's media and political culture.

What Deep Throat did, and when he did it, should be viewed within the prism of its time. It was during a war, with soaring gasoline prices, and the nation had a president that some people felt wasn't being entirely candid with the American people. It was a totally different era, people, and temptations to compare the two are naive.*

I wasn't doing that, really (if I had been I would have said something like "hopefully he wasn't married to Plame"). I was keeping in mind the gentle manner in which Hoover and Nixon typically treated their political enemies, and extrapolating from there how they might treat someone who came forward with evidence of crimes by the administration.

[Spanky]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Look, let's stop projecting yesterday's events to today's media and political culture.

* Concept (c) TDS.

Who is projecting? Are you saying Nixon was nice to his enemies? I forgot. Did he make cupcakes for Daniel Elsberg?

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by Spanky
Who is projecting?

Uh, I adopted the half-serious argument that Sidd was, in order to use sarcasm to draw a larger parallel between current and past administrations.

Are you saying Nixon was nice to his enemies? I forgot. Did he make cupcakes for Daniel Elsberg?

No. Sigh. Clearly, I go away for a few days and the humor skillz calcify. Maybe I should stick to something safe, like insulting ironweed.

[notcasesensitive]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Uh, I adopted the half-serious argument that Sidd was, in order to use sarcasm to draw a larger parallel between current and past administrations.



No. Sigh. Clearly, I go away for a few days and the humor skillz calcify. Maybe I should stick to something safe, like insulting ironweed.

Please don't use Spanky as your humor barometer. Literalism is a tough gig.

[Spanky]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Uh, I adopted the half-serious argument that Sidd was, in order to use sarcasm to draw a larger parallel between current and past administrations.



No. Sigh. Clearly, I go away for a few days and the humor skillz calcify. Maybe I should stick to something safe, like insulting ironweed.

That, clearly, went way over my head. Wouldn't be the first time.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
if Ty tried to out my shit I'd go nuclear on his ass

I heard that a Nixon tape with Hadleman showed that Nixon and Hadleman knew it was this guy- (at least knew he was talking not necessarially ddepthroat but that name maybe wasn't public) they decided not to fuck him because he "knew everything" (maybe the part about having Kennedy killed?)

Funniest part is Hadleman said the guy was pissed cuz he didn't get hoover's job- Nixon: is he Catholic
Hadlerman: no a Jew
Nixon: Jesus make one of them head of FBI?

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Look, let's stop projecting yesterday's events to today's media and political culture.

What Deep Throat did, and when he did it, should be viewed within the prism of its time. It was during a war, with soaring gasoline prices, and the nation had a president that some people felt wasn't being entirely candid with the American people. It was a totally different era, people, and temptations to compare the two are naive.*
















* Concept (c) TDS.

wow. when Ty does an edit it takes the poster off my ignore list. Go figure!

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
I heard that a Nixon tape with Hadleman showed that Nixon and Hadleman knew it was this guy- (at least knew he was talking not necessarially ddepthroat but that name maybe wasn't public) they decided not to fuck him because he "knew everything" (maybe the part about having Kennedy killed?)

Funniest part is Hadleman said the guy was pissed cuz he didn't get hoover's job- Nixon: is he Catholic
Hadlerman: no a Jew
Nixon: Jesus make one of them head of FBI?

STP Hank.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
STP Hank.

I did. there's nothing similar, or did someone I ignore post something similar?

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
It was interesting to hear the (unerased) tapes of Haldeman and Nixon speculating it was Felt, but that he would go public with everything if they tried to out him. Classic prisoner's dilemma, at least of a sort.

It's an interesting question whether, at any given point, there was already enough evidence that it would have hastened the fall or if it could have cut off the investigation. I suspect that by the time Nixon and others knew it was Felt, there was already enough info that the die was cast.

I wonder whether the Nixon and the boys had similar conversations about other people they suspected were Deep Throat.