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06/03/2005:

"The Mysteries of Watergate"

by John Nichols
...Ultimately, now that Deep Throat has been revealed as just another cynical Washington insider working the system for all it was worth, one Watergate mystery remains. And it turns out to be a far more perplexing and troublesome one than that of some back-alley tipster's identity.

What remains is the mystery of how America, a country that proved her ability to depose a petty crook from power in the 1970s, has drifted so far from her ethical moorings. At the most fundamental level, it is not so difficult to unravel this mystery. A simple calculation of the roles of big media and big money campaign contributions provides most if not all of the explanation that is needed. But that calculus points to the lingering quandry of our time: Will we ever muster enough outrage at a stenographic media and a compliant Congress to steer America back to that place where lawless presidents are held accountable for their lies and the deadly consequences of their misdeeds?
Full: commondreams.org

This is a dangerously naive assessment at best, a deliberate distortion at worst. Who "Watergated" Nixon and why? Why were the burglars old-time operatives from the Bay of Pigs and the JFK assassination, and why did they show up in the 80's in Central America as part of Iran-Contra? They are connected to the global network of right-wing terrorists, part of the 'Deep Politics' which Peter Dale Scott unearthed in the 80's and are implicated in drugs/guns/ insurgencies far beyond the borders of the United States. I would not be surprised if a great deal of the violence in Iraq is ultimately traced back to this network. Think about it: what homegrown insurgency in its right mind would deliberately unleash such horrific damage on its own people? Bush et.al. say it's Islamists from outside Iraq. I doubt it.