More than an operative, and less..
Valerie Plame, at the time of Wilson's trip, was Assistant Director of the CIA's Dept. on Weapons of Mass Destruction..
ANY government in the world would have already known who and what Valerie Plame was, as they would have known her position in the CIA..
Assistant Director is not a "secret operative" post.. It is an administrative position.
Thus, the ability to influence the assignment of a certain Joe Wilson for a little vacation jaunt to Niger..