So then the judge is saying...

...outing Valerie Plame was about discrediting her husband, Joe Wilson.

Though the way they sought to discredit Mr. Wilson may have been “highly unsavory,” the judge said, “there can be no serious dispute that the act of rebutting public criticism, such as that levied by Mr. Wilson against the Bush administration’s handling of prewar foreign intelligence, by speaking with members of the press is within the scope of defendants’ duties as high-level executive branch officials.”

Link: Cheney Wins Dismissal of Suit Brought by Valerie Wilson - New York Times