I simply haven't seen the parsing you reference. It seems crystal clear to me that Wilson said (a) Cheney asked the CIA questions, (2) in response to those questions the CIA did some things, including sending Wilson to Niger, and (3) he's never talked to Cheney about it. I frankly think the whole "He needed to be debunked because he claimed Cheney sent him" fracas is a complete red herring.
I think Wilson meant to leave the impression early on that Cheney 'sent' him to Niger where he sipped tea.
But he was careful not to say that explicitly. (I first noticed your posts because of your insistance that he never 'said' that Cheney sent him.)
Implying that Cheney sent him but then (Cheney)backtracked and had his wife's position exposed in retribution for not toeing the party line was the beginning of Wilson's public tiff with the administration, if my memory serves.
When I first read your posts, I thought you were perhaps a partisan on Joe's team. I have since concluded that you are instead a very careful reader and user of language, which is why I tend to look for your take on these newer discoveries.
You agree that Wilson is flogging a red herring (excuse the mixed metaphor lol), but do agree that he consciously created that same herring?
Thanks for your input,
Pinz