It is understandable that those opposed to the war would rush to put forward the story Wilson told. What is not so easy to understand, however, is why they continued to do so after so many of Wilson’s claims were shown to be demonstrably false.

For almost four years now, the public has been fed a steady diet of Joe-Wilson-truth-teller exposing President Bush’s lies resulting in a retaliatory “outing” of his wife’s covert CIA status. Reporters continued writing that story long after it was proven false.

Last year when it was revealed that then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage was the source of Robert Novak’s column naming Valerie Plame, her husband’s fantasy scenario of a White House determined to destroy him fell apart.