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February 07, 2005

George Bush The Elder Not Likely "Deep Throat"

There is a new theory running around that the elder Bush - George H.W. Bush - is the "Deep Throat" of Watergate. Evidence: His son - George W. Bush gave seven hours of interviews to Bob Woodward:

Havill said he began to suspect Bush when his president son, who dislikes the press, gave Woodward an unusual seven hours of interviews.

Also:

The elder Bush had motivation to dislike Nixon, who had urged him to leave a safe congressional seat for an assistant Secretary of Treasury position and hinted he would replace Spiro Agnew on the 1972 ticket. Nixon reneged, and Bush ``was given the thankless task of heading the Republican National Committee in 1973,'' Havill said.

Bush was United Nations ambassador in New York from 1971 to 1973 but came to his Washington home on weekends. Seven of the eight Deep Throat/Woodward meetings were on weekends.

Bush, who later became CIA director, had intimate knowledge of Washington. ``This is a guy with deep political contacts from way back,'' Havill said.

Both Woodward and Bush are Navy men and Yale graduates.

Woodward has said he will reveal Deep Throat's identity only when the source is dead. Bush may not want to come forward because the revelation he took down Nixon would make the entire Bush clan the ``black sheep'' of the GOP, Havill said. A call to a Bush spokesman at his presidential library in Houston was not returned.

Havill posted his theory after Watergate notes from the two reporters, sold in 2003 for $5 million to the University of Texas, went on display - minus Deep Throat's identity.

It doesn't seem like the Bush style to me. The names I've seen most often are Al Haig and Fred Fielding. I would be startled if it turned out to be George H.W. Bush.

Posted at 01:51 AM Pacific