Paul M. Anderson
Well over an hour after John Dean finished speaking and started
taking questions from the audience Wednesday the question finally
surfaced.
Who is Deep Throat?
As a central figure in the Watergate scandal that brought down the
Nixon Administration, Dean himself is obsessed with the question of
who supplied Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl
Bernstein with so much invaluable information. He's even written a
book on the subject. But, so far, the former White House counsel has
only been able to narrow it down to three men.
Former Nixon speechwriter Ray Price and political commentators
William Safire and Pat Buchanan.
"When I named Pat Buchanan (as a possibility) I can't tell you how
slow he was to deny it," Dean said, drawing laughs from a mostly
adoring crowd of about 300 at the Glendale Central Library, 222 E.
Harvard St.
As juicy as the gossip was about Deep Throat's identity, most of
the partisans on hand were more eager to hear Dean's criticisms of
President Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney. Dean was at the
library to promote his latest book, "Worse than Watergate: The Secret
Presidency of George W. Bush."
Dean ripped Bush and Cheney for promoting an ideology that seeks
to restrict information coming out of the president's office.
Ironically, Nixon did not start out with the same agenda, Dean said.
He declassified decades of secret documents in an attempt to hurt the
Democrats.
But after the leaking of the so-called Pentagon Papers, which he
characterized as detailing the government's lies about Vietnam over
the years, Nixon decided to lock down the flow of information out of
the Oval Office. Bush and Cheney, on the other hand, sought to cloak
the White House in secrecy from day one, Dean said.
Dean acknowledged that he has been courted to participate in the
presidential election, but he has steadfastly refused.
"I am not a partisan and I don't want to lose that status," he
said. "What I'm giving you is what I would give my son, my best
friend."
Over the years, he's been an independent, voting for Democrats and
Republicans. He wanted to write the book because he believes the Bush
Administration is headed down "a path that was all too familiar to me
... They have put a gag order on the White House. It's the most
shrink-wrapped administration I've ever seen."
After his public appearance, Dean said if Bush is reelected he
believes there are a number of issues like the Abu Ghraib prison
abuse scandal that could lead to an impeachment if Democrats take
control of Congress.
But if Bush is not reelected, Dean speculated that a severe schism
between traditional conservatives and neo-conservatives will strike
the GOP.
Bob and Lynda Burlison of La Canada Flintridge were impressed with
Dean. They are Democrats but they remember the Watergate scandal and
wanted to see the man whose testimony was crucial to compelling Nixon
to resign.
"He's incredibly articulate. His speech was very informative," Bob
Burlison said.
