From your link of the editorial on 23 October 2003:
Wilson also acknowledged that he has been advising Kerry on foreign policy for about five months. Yes, that would put it before Wilson started criticizing President Bush for the line in his State of the Union message about Iraq seeking uranium from Niger for use in Saddam Hussein's nuclear program. (Wilson was the one sent to Niger by the CIA to investigate the charge, but insists he found no evidence of same.)
So this slimeball has been used by the Kerry/Kennedy Mass Dem machine.
I believe that the Kerry campaign was behind the whole smear, not from the beginning, but starting with Joe Wilson. The Bush lied campaign was started in March, with the hullabaloo over the forged Italian documents, but it got very little traction, until Chris Lehane got a hold of Joe Wilson. And then the whole thing just escalated from there, including the accusation about outing Wilson's CIA wife.
It's bigger than Kerry behind it,IMO. It was an orchestrated hit against Bush coordinated with an orchestrated hit againts Blair over in GB regarding the ossier.
Yes, I think Kerry has a lot to answer for, but the brains behind the scheme? No way. He's a follower not a leader.