I havn't seen anybody explain exactly what the reporters where told about Plame in this case. So I guess it's possible.

But I've read Novak's original article [link|http://www.townhall.com/columnists/robertnovak/rn20030714.shtml|Novak at Townhall]. And the part about Plame in there stands out like an odd aside that would serve to discredit Wilson, except it's entirly tangental to anything that matters.

Novak has already at that point in the article admited that Cheney was the most important person involved in ordering the investigation in the first place. This is contrary to the idea that it was an attempt to set the record straight on who send Wilson, but of course doesn't directly address the question of what the leaker said to Novak.

In some ways the bit about Plame in there seems more like Novak knew he had this interesting tidbit of information and didn't know how to work it into the flow of the article.

Jay