With the Republicans girding for indictments on such "trivial" matters as perjury, obstruction of justice, and lying to investigators, let's be clear on what is at the heart of Fitzgerald's investigation: The violation of one or more federal statutes concerning the naming of covert CIA agents and/or their NOC companies.
While there are many interesting facets of this case, what started it all, and the most important element, are the real-world consequences of outing covert agents.
This from Wikipedia:
An anonymous star was added to the wall between named stars that can be dated to deaths on February 5, 2003 and October 25, 2003. The anonymous star thus fits the timing of the Plame leak. Wayne Madsen, a reporter and former NSA employee, has claimed, "CIA sources report that at least one anonymous star placed on the CIA's Wall of Honor at its Langley, Virginia headquarters is a clandestine agent who was executed in a hostile foreign nation as a direct result of the White House leak."
So, for all those out there who think this is just politics, think about the person behind that anonymous star.