Everybody wants a little attention

From Mickey Kaus: “If the harm to the country was so great, why did Plame's annoyingly egomaniacal husband, Joseph Wilson, thrust himself into the public spotlight in a way almost guaranteed to eventually cause his wife's employment to be discovered and publicized?”

Good question. Wilson was a washed-up former ambassador before his wife sent him on the trip to Niger. It’s probable that Wilson saw a win-win scenario by provoking the White House to respond to his bald-faced prevarications. If they ignore him, he can go on the lecture circuit making thousands repeating his repudiated lies. But if the White House tries to defend itself by pointing out correctly that Wilson’s wife (and not Dick Cheney) sent him on the trip, he can claim his wife (who may not have been covert) was “outed.”

Joe Wilson is a proven liar. But he may also be a vainglorious liar who was trying to drag down the West Wing while securing himself a couple more weekends on “Meet the Press.”