Wilson/Plame: The Last Ditch

A lie is more revealing than the truth... if you know it is a lie. --- James J. Angleton

With his credibility shredded on so many counts, why is Amb. Wilson so adamant about denying that his wife played a role in sending him to Niger? And why has Plame resorted to the Chapin defense ("I honestly don't recall....").

Why are they so afraid of this issue?

Here are some possibilities.

1. The Drum Hypothesis is correct. His wife shares sensitive information with him. Wilson has to pretend that they operate with tight compartmentalization at home to cover for her indiscretions.

2. Ego. If he was selected by others with no input from Plame, then that shows his qualifications were sterling and well-known. If, on the other hand, his wife got him the gig, it might look as though he was just a mediocre ex-diplomat whose damaged ego needed a boost.

3. The deck was stacked. He was chosen for the mission because his wife knew he was dismissive of the whole idea of a Niger connection. The choice of Wilson under these circumstances shows that CIA's Counter-proliferation Division did not seek an honest evaluation of the matter but wanted only to confirm their own pre-existing estimates.

4. Greed. Wilson and Plame enjoy an up-scale lifestyle funded mainly by his work as an "international business consultant." By getting Wilson the occaissional CIA assignment, Plame added to his cachet and his ability to woo and wow high-paying clients. This, in turn, pays for the Jaguar and Hermes ties.