[NotQuiteCricket]

It seems that at one point she was a NOC, which means Non-Official Cover, which means if the other side gets wind of who you really are, you’re on your own.
How is it that the wife of a state department employee can be NOC? I can understand the concept of - we are sending you with out papers, and if you get caught, well buh-bye...but as a wife, she would get diplomatic immunity (assuming that what she did - if she even did anything - was while in his company).

The White House asked the CIA, the CIA recommended Wilson, and their recommendation was accepted automatically. But what the original leakers told Novak was that it was Mrs Wilson who’d proposed her husband for the job. The Company responded that their counter-proliferation officials came up with Wilson and they only used the wife to contact him.
This doesn't sound right. I was not aware that the WH had initiated this "fact" finding trip (the rumor was Cheney did it, but then that was slapped down).

yes/no? Anyone?

[Howlin]

The way I understand it, the original information was presented at one of those daily briefings at the White House; whatever the information was, somebody at the White House -- I read it was Cheney -- said something along the lines of "we need more information on this" or "can you look further into that" and the CIA was off to the races.

Then there was some sort of high level meeting with a bunch of the intelligence people -- and Wilson was "invited" to address them and give them whatever information he could from his perspective during the time he was working over there.

Sometime after that meeting, the group decided to send somebody over there to poke around -- and his name was suggested; the original story was that Wilson was, in fact, suggested by his wife.

My question still is this: even if -- and especially if -- the person asking for "more information" was the White House/Cheney, why on earth would they send somebody who was so opposed to the Bush administration?

[MEG33]

I believe he hasn't been an ambassador since they were married.His last post was 1998.

[speekinout]

How is it that the wife of a state department employee can be NOC?

They got married in 1998. There's no evidence that he's been an Ambassador or she's been NOC since then.
I rather doubt she's had any recent undercover assignments recently or would in the near future. They have 3 year old twins. I can't imagine any mother of such young children would take a dangerous assignment.
But then, he seems weird, so maybe she is too.