[Uri’el-2012]

Wilson, a lifetime Francophile, had spent the bulk of his diplomatic career in former French African colonies like Niger.7 His second wife from 1986 to 1998, Jacqueline, had served the French embassy in Burundi as a “cultural counselor" (a function often used as a cover by French intelligence)

Let me see if I understand the timeline: Wilson is married to Jacqueline who is working for French Intelligence.

While Joe is the spouse of a French Intelligence officer, Joe has his hand in Valerie’s panties so she will sing like a canary that she works for the CIA as a spy.

Valerie Plame is outing herself to the then current spouse of a French Intelligence officer. This is all prior to 1998.

Am I missing something?

[Fedora]

Am I missing something?

Not missing a thing, LOL! The only thing I'd add is that it's only known the position Jacqueline served in at the French embassy was sometimes used as a cover for intelligence purposes, we don't have direct verification she was actually a French intelligence agent. However, the circumstantial evidence is enough to warrant an inquiry, IMO. And after Jacqueline divorced Joseph she definitely was hired by an employer, Omar Bongo, who had been an asset of French intelligence and of a French oil company that was an asset of French intelligence, TotalFinaElf. TotalFinaElf in turn had interlocking management with the French-controlled uranium mining consortium Wilson was sent to investigate in Niger. Proof of espionage or other wrongdoing, no--at least not in itself. Enough to question whether there was a conflict of interests in sending the ex-husband of a lobbyist for an employer linked to TotalFinaElf to investigate a TotalFinaElf-managed consortium suspected of selling uranium to Iraq, yes.