That's interesting. I scanned the article quickly and haven't noodled on it, but at first glance a question arises. If Joe Wilson was deeply involved in business ventures in Africa at the time of the Niger trip, there could be federal ethics/conflicts of interest issues arising from his wife's recommending him.
That could very well be the reason for the whole brouhaha. Joe knew that higher-ups were looking into his trip, and decided to "get out in front of the story" by making his own accusations in the New York Times. Smokescreen, in other words.