If Rove knew that "Joseph Wilson's wife" was a CIA operative, I don't think there is any doubt but that he knew more than that - including the rumour that Valerie Plame was one of those brought home from her theatre 10-12 years ago when turncoat CIA agent, Ames, waw nabbed, because of fear that she might have been uncovered and put at peril. Intelligence gathering operations by their very nature require long-term, patient relationships. If a foreign power becomes aware of an operative being outed, it might easily be worthwhile to them to trace the relationships they had while they were working in their country. Karl Rove is an arrogant man who thought he could get away with anything. That's my opinion.