The Night I Met Valerie Plame and Ambassador Joseph Wilson

One night I attended a lecture by Valerie Plame Wilson, the CIA agent “outed” by the Bush administration, for her husband’s (Ambassador Joe Wilson) finding no uranium sales in Niger to Iraq--to get back at the Ambassador for destroying Bush’s rationale for war in Iraq. After her 40-minute speech, there was a moderated discussion with her and her husband on stage.

Dr. Bill Moore and I arrived about 20 minutes early and immediately encountered Joe Wilson greeting friends in the audience. Seeing me in a wheelchair, he quickly came over to help Bill get me positioned in the second row. He introduced himself (as if I didn’t know), and I introduced myself. I said two things that caught his notice. “You and your wife are my heroes for standing up to Bush”; also I told him I had taught for 14 years at Penn State, Valerie’s alma mater. Thereafter he kept bringing his friends over to introduce me to them (they called him “Joe,” I called him “Mr. Ambassador”). This went on for about four rounds until the lights dimmed, and he insisted on shaking my hand every time, each time claiming he was not a hero but “an ordinary citizen doing his civic duty.” He was dressed in jeans, cowboy boots, western shirt, and string tie.

Valerie was then introduced to huge applause. She is very beautiful, but also quite thin—little bosom and small hips. This was emphasized by her long black tight-fitting dress without any decoration. She is a well-spoken and charming lady, 44, who recounted the last 4 ½ years of the trials Bush and his toady, Scooter Libby, put her and her family through. No self-pity at all, just happiness to be out of Washington and living in Santa Fe with her husband and 7-year-old twins who were visible in the wings. She got much applause when she mentioned her lawsuit against Bush, Cheney (bigger applause), Rove, Armitage, and Libby and nine other “John Doe’s” whom they expected to surface. (“Outing” a CIA agent is a federal offense.) She was very likable, and the packed house of 800+ was entirely on her side. (As we entered the theater, people outside were offering hundreds of dollars for scalped tickets.)

Following the lecture, the panel discussion started. Valerie, who would never utter a four-letter word, has a husband who was really angry and uttered many. Each time Valerie cringed and at one point mentioned that she was trying to clean up his language for the sake of the kids. He had many lines that got laughs and wild applause, but I thought his best was on Bob Novak, the reporter who outed her in print. “Bob Novak is a Hollywood tabloid writer who trolls the sewers of Washington for any lump of filth he can find and then shapes it into his column.” The imagery was totally visual! The only thing Valerie said that was “dangerous” is “President Bush is a traitor and has committed treason.” Never “Bush,” always “President Bush.”

Then came the book-signing in the lobby of her recently published Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House. Lines were out the door, but Bill Moore used my wheelchair to plow people out of the way, eventually getting me next to her behind the table. Trying to look official, I started to take books from the next person in line, tuck the flap of the jacket into the title page so she could open it and sign it quickly. Finally after about six of these, she looked at me quizzically and asked me if I wanted a book signed. Bill Moore said to her, “Yes, he’s the Penn State professor.” She seemed to recognize the concept and signed it “For Jack, Valerie Plame Wilson.”

We then bulldozed our way out. It was a thrilling evening to be in the room with so many angry people who finally found somebody heroic and on their side.