Valerie Plame Wilson: Not a Likeable Character

So I just finished reading the Valerie Plame Wilson memoir Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House. And I have to say, I don't really like her now.

Prior to reading the book I felt bad for her--after all top ranking members of the U.S. government played a role in outing her covert identity as a C.I.A. "operative." The betrayal ruined her career; and to say that it adversely impacted other aspects of her life would be an understatement.

But Wilson plays the victim role too well.

And she has a hard time owning to up to mistakes she made throughout her ordeal. She points the finger at other people, calling them on their blunders, when it isn't necessary-- it's a shitty tactic for trying to deflect blame off of herself.

Note to people out there who do this: it only makes you look worse.

One such example, in Wilson's case, occurs on pages 170 and 171. Wilson admits that posing for Vanity Fair magazine, alongside her husband in his Jaguar in front of the White House, probably wasn't the best idea; especially since the investigation into her leaked identity was underway; and because she was still working for the C.I.A at the time.

She says:

"Caught up in the glamorous moment and feeling somewhat beaten down, I reluctantly agreed [to pose for the magazine], but only if I could not be recognized. To be honest it was a 'what the hell' moment. I did not listen to my instincts and threw my extreme caution about public exposure to the wind."

Wilson should have just left it at that. A lapse in judgment is understandable. But annoyingly she continued. She goes on to say that she was called to the Chief's office at work where someone, known simply as Mark, gave her an angry "dressing-down" for appearing in Vanity Fair. She said she was humiliated and left his office "nearly in tears."

Then Wilson goes on to try to deflect blame, or at least attempts to make herself appear less bad.

She says:

"Almost two years later, I found out that during that very same time period [when she was given the dressing-down], he [Mark] had started an affair with someone in his direct chain of command. When I heard stories about their escapades circulating throughout the Division, I thought back to my dressing-down and mused that even Mark's judgment suffered sometimes as well."

Not very classy Valerie Plame Wilson!