Do we know what expenses, if any, were paid by the agency?
It was definitely Wilson's goal to have this come back on Cheney, I agree. He wanted to make Cheney look like he knew the SOTU "16 words" were incorrect, that he lied to the public to go to war.
But he didn't say that Cheney sent him. He said that Cheney's office asked for the info and the CIA sent him. Various media morphed it into him saying Cheney sent him, which isn't helpful since it's so easily disproven.
Joe has said his "travel expenses" were paid by the agency but his time was offered gratis. What a guy.
His wife said he had a "little business" to do over there anyway. Anyone wonder what "business" Joe does in Africa? Must be good, with Rolexes and Jaguars so obvious.
Having done a few of these official (really official, not pseudo) boondoggles myself (but not traveling in First Class), I'd still like to see the travel vouchers. Having been to Africa, which is a very expensive trip, I'd say Joe probably bill(k)ed the USG for $10,0000 or more by the time it was all said and done. The CIA must have quite a "slush fund" to pay for boondoggles with so little oversight and authority, not to mention zero results.
Joe tied himself to the administration by claiming the VP had questions (doubts, according to Joe) and he, Joe Wilson, was selected by the Agency as a "representative of the government" to go get answers....quite disingenuous and it Joe does therefore imply he was on some official mission directed by the VP. One can only imagine how loosely this association was used by Joe in the many gossip sessions Joe had with reporters about how "the Veep" sought his expertise....and then discarded it because it didn't fit the Veep's agenda to make the case for war.....
And this HAS become central to the case.