[Just mythoughts]

Interesting. Joe does appear to have the "yellowcake" connections, got to wonder exactly what he did do in Niger while sipping sweet tea.

[palmer]

The best theory I have heard here is he went to Niger to help them cover up the connection. That assumes that enough decision makers in the CIA wanted to bury the yellowcake connections as much as possible. Seems reasonable to me.

An alternative theory is that the CIA set up the yellowcake deals in the 80's to empower Saddam and set up more yellowcake deals recently to help provide evidence against Saddam. In that case Wilson is alone in defending Saddam against the charges. Maybe he feels bad about the way Saddam was stung with a nod and wink to go into Kuwait which he was part of (although which side is he was on is in question).

[Miss Marple]

Well, I would like to know how (before he wrote his book) he got the money to have:

a $765,000 house in DC
a Jaguar convertible
a Mercedes sedan
a $14,000 Rollex watch
a kitchen remodel with granite countertops
Oriental rugs in every public room of his home
maxed out donations to Gore, Kerry, and assorted Rat politicians
attendance in expensive clothes at many DC cocktail parties, including White House dinners
support for two children from a previous marriage
nanny or pricey day care for the twins born in his current marriage
start-up money for his "consulting" company

All of this on the retirement pay of a mid-level bureaucrat with his wife's salary at the same level. Neither Plame nor Wilson comes from a moneyed background. WHERE did the money come from?

[Marysecretary]

Having yellow cake with it, of course....