Everyone seems to accept that if the White House leaked the name and

occupation of Joe Wilson’s wife it was done to “smear” him. But how does

that information smear Wilson?

When I learned that his wife worked for the CIA, it caused me to think

better about him. In fact, one friend, a Democrat, cited his wife’s

occupation to me to suggest that Wilson was not as rabid a partisan as I

believed (and as I had alleged in NRO).

The alternative explanation that Wilson has suggested: That his wife’s

name was leaked to “intimidate” him. What does that mean? That the idea

was that some foreign agent might attempt to kill Mrs. Wilson?

Are reputable journalists really taking such an allegation seriously?