TERRORISTS & SPIES > SPIES

Valerie Plame

By Tricia Romano

The Administration Strikes Back

The Wilsons were distressed to learn that the Novak column was only the tip of the iceberg. A media counterattack had only just begun.

Caspar Weinberger, the former secretary of defense under Ronald Reagan, penned a Wall Street Journal editorial titled "The Anatomy of a Campaign:"

"Completely frustrated by their inability to belittle, sneer at, or just plain falsify about the victory of our troops in Iraq, opponents of the president are now reduced to using bits and pieces of non-evidence to contend that we did not have to replace the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein."

Weinberger's piece sought to undermine Wilson's African credentials—calling him a "very minor former ambassador."

The couple now went on their own offensive, with Joe taking part in a Vanity Fair profile. The photo that ran with it became was as notorious as the piece. It featured the couple in a convertible with Plame, looking mysterious and glamorous in a Hermes scarf and oversized, face-obscuring black sunglasses, seated next to Wilson. The article, however, only fanned further attacks. Plame wasn't a victim, her detractors claimed, she was seeking publicity.

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1. 16 Words
2. Something's Wrong
3. They Meet
4. The Vice President's Request
5. The Trip To Niger
6. The New York Times
7. The Leak: The Novak Article
8. Plame's Name
9. Becoming A Spy
10. Spy Training
11. Assignments
12. The Administration Strikes Back
13. SSCI Report
14. Plame In The Spotlight
15. The Investigation
16. Administration Tactics
17. The Book And The CIA