This article is so well done. It came from NEEDLENOSE . I hope they don't mind too much that I lifted it lock stock and barrell to help spread the word...

The man they shouldn't have crossed
By swopaJul 13 2005 - 9:59pm
As the Carpetbagger Report and Kevin Drum, among others, have aptly noted, the Bushite counterattack on Joseph Wilson the past couple of days is essentially a repeat of the mudstorm they tried to launch in early October of 2003 (and at various other times, before and since), only more desperate and dishonest.
Kevin also notes that however expected, it's not necessarily a bright idea on their part:

In any case, it's a lame defense and will probably come back to haunt Rove's defenders. Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is sure acting like a guy who has the goods on this whole affair, and if he starts delivering indictments it's going to make the Greek chorus singing Rove's praises look pretty silly. Oh, it was six reporters? Over the course of three days? And some of the calls were from Air Force One? Um....Frankly, smart Republicans would be well advised to hedge their bets.

The Bushites are about to find out that this isn't the only reason they should have thought before shooting their mouths off. Back in those crazy days almost two years ago, I wrote about Wilson and cited an anecdote from his past:

In 1990, while sheltering more than a hundred Americans at the U.S. Embassy and diplomatic residences, he briefed reporters while wearing a hangman's noose instead of a necktie -- a symbol of defiance after Hussein threatened to execute anyone who didn't turn over foreigners.The message, Wilson said: "If you want to execute me, I'll bring my own [expletive] rope."This toughness impressed President George H.W. Bush, who called Wilson a "truly inspiring" diplomat who exhibited "courageous leadership" by facing down Hussein and helping to gain freedom for the Americans before the 1991 war began.. . . There's also a message here that the White House slimers and their PNAC cronies missed -- this is not a guy who reacts meekly when he's threatened. They might regret having overlooked that when all is said and done.

True to this form, with Karl Rove's minions trying to assassinate his character in the media, Wilson has announced his plans to bring his own rope -- or, worse for the Bushites, his own firepower to shoot back.
In this interview, Wilson says he plans to go on the "Today" show tomorrow to read a letter of praise he received from Dubya's dad (you know, the other President Bush, the one who looks good by comparison now) in October 2002 after Wilson wrote an op-ed on a smarter way to confront Saddam Hussein.
Of course, you can expect that Wilson won't stop there -- he'll go on to relate how he personally stood up to Saddam in 1991, and how Dubya's dad called him a hero after that, and did you know that his dedicated and loyal blonde wife gave two decades of her life to serving this country as an undercover CIA agent, only to have Dubya's henchmen flush that down the drain in a fit of political pique?
And then he'll carry the tale to the other morning shows, so they can all show Mr. and Mrs. Six-Pack what a devoted servant of America is being trashed by Karl Rove and his ilk. Good luck to the Bushites in trying to overcome that media offensive.