That's a great example. Woodward has claimed that, as a ONI officer, he met Mark Felt in the White House basement during Nixon's first term. Felt, he said, advised him to enter the field of journalism. Sure, Bob. Felt disliked the media, and Bob had no background in journalism.

Felt wasn't simply an assistant director in the FBI. He was a Naval Intelligence officer, on loan. And he and others were aware what direction Nixon was heading in -- for it is well-documented that Nixon found the Joint Chiefs were spying on him.

Felt was the leader of a group that Bob called "Deep Throat" ....unless one accepts the idea of Felt marking Woodward's morning newspaper. Bradley knew what was going on. It would be hard to imagine his taking a new, untested reporter's word on a secret source otherwise. No, leaking is the currency of intelligence operations.