This has obviously been speculated about for months on the blogs. But it's worth remembering, wasn't Bolton's acting chief of staff Frederick Fleitz wearing a second hat when he was working for Bolton? That hat was....wait....an analyst with the CIA's WINPAC bureau. The precise bureau Libby told Miller that Joe Wilson's wife worked for, Miller writes. Maybe Fleitz or Bolton supplied the name of Wilson's wife after Libby had pushed Miller to dig in that direction?

As blogger Empty Wheel helpfully found in the archives recently, here is Fleitz's description of his dual-role under Bolton and WINPAC, from his testimony during the Senate Foreign Relations committee Bolton nomination hearings:

FREDERICK FLEITZ: My name is Frederick Fleitz, I'm a CI [Counter-Intelligence] officer on detail to John Bolton's staff as a Special Assistant, I've been on detail since August 2001. I've been a CI officer for nineteen years, and I came the, a CI WINPAC, the Weapons Intelligence Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Center. I've done some work in WMD, most of my work has been on international organizations, and I played a role in drafting the [Cuba BW] speech, and look forward to answering your questions. I also handled UN issues when he was the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations, and he had asked that I be sent to him...

I'm the acting Chief of Staff for the T front office [the Under Secretary’s Office, which overseas four Assistant Secretaries], and I also have responsibilities with WINPAC and I perform liaison function for the Agency and Mr. Bolton.

Update: Kevin Drum has more. And he points out something interesting. Miller surely didn't get the misspelled "Valerie Flame" from Who's Who, as Novak has archly suggested it was available from. She heard it, or misheard it, from someone telling her the name. Drum also reminds us that "Valerie Plame" was the name Wilson's wife went by only at the Agency. She used her married name otherwise. Someone who knew of her by her Agency identity seems to have given the name to Miller (and Novak).

Posted by Laura at October 16, 2005 02:30 PM