CELEBRITY PLAME: Political convenience and seven figure book deal

Whenever nature leaves a hole in a person's mind, she generally plasters it over with a thick helping of self-conceit. --Longfellow

"Today, I can tell this committee even more. In the run-up to the war with Iraq I worked in the counter proliferation division of the CIA -- still as a covert officer whose affiliation with the CIA was classified.

"I raced to discover solid intelligence for senior policymakers on Iraq's presumed weapons of mass destruction programs.

"While I helped to manage and run secret worldwide operations against this WMD target from CIA headquarters in Washington, I also traveled to foreign countries on secret missions to find vital intelligence..."

That certainly worked well.

"...Plame is working on [a book], Fair Game, although it has had a troubled history," reports one newswire.

"In May 2006, the Crown Publishing Group announced it would publish her book, a deal reportedly worth seven figures. But the two sides could not agree on a final contract, and two months later an agreement was announced with Simon & Schuster."

Obviously, we'll never be rid of Valerie Plame. Ascending to the category of famous for being famous, she will be our most well-known ex-secret agent. Expect more book deals, chortling appearances on television, perhaps a line of fashion, and an open seat on a network news show as a flavor of Rodomontade.

Plame testimony steno at CNN.