Some still find offense from "anodyne" quote

Word discovery: Anodyne
Citation: Salon, “The Senate’s Bad Intelligence,” July 16, 2004 (may require log-in or watching a brief video ad).
Usage: “The conclusion is apparently based on one anodyne quote from a memo Valerie Plame, my wife, sent to her superiors…” [color font mine]
Meaning: not provocative (see “anodyne” [2] from Merriam-Websters online dictionary)
Comments: I wonder where Ambassador Wilson first discovered this word. Under what circumstances did he first need to use it? It’s an interesting word, but not one I have run into before.