That rarely even works for civilian dominated federal agencies, though Carol. And in the case of the CIA, there are simply no civilians who know what goes on "in the field". So the need to have agents and other intelligence personnel be able to blow the whistle on US intelligence operations gone awry, is far more important to our democratic form of government than protecting a CIA analyst's cush job at Langley.

What is more important to our democracy today: Joe Wilson and his disgruntled Democrat friends getting back at the Bush administration, or reining in the covert US government that has grown by leaps and bounds (with Dubya's Daddy's help) since the Reagan years, with no one able to scrutinize their actions?

It's paramount to remember Carol, the law Libby, et al violated was passed when a CIA agent, Philip Agee, went public with all the gruesome details of the CIA's Latin American adventures.

The book is still a compelling and enlightening historical read. It is called Inside the Company: CIA Diary

Don't forget, the only FBI agent who blew the whistle on the FBI over the 9/11 debacle was fired. At least Valerie Plame was able to afford to quit and support herself on her new seven figure book deal, also due to be released any minute.