Wilson is an officious, nasty piece of goods. His appearances on television have demonstrated a mean streak a mile wide and ten miles deep. Like the majority of retired Foreign Service officers he believes he walks on water; he accepts no criticism, and answers only the questions he wants to. The fact that the administration used an ultra-liberal Democrat to do this investigation demonstrates that someone (perhaps someone at the CIA itself) did not do his/her homework.
The fact that the administration used an ultra-liberal Democrat to do this investigation demonstrates that someone (perhaps someone at the CIA itself) did not do his/her homework. Well, you're missing the point of the story. Wilson was not appointed by "the administration". He was sent off by a quasi-rogue operation, i.e., not cleared all the way through, and the decision to send Wilson was based on the recommendation of Wilson's WIFE, and before the decision was vetted the trip by Wilson was already underway.
After all, by Wilson's own statements, it was little more than a tourist visit with a few meetings over tea -- it wasn't an 'operation' in any real sense.
Wilson inflated the significance of his trip in his own mind, and the press took the bait.