Can't say I agree with your analysis.
If all we had was Russert disagreeing with Libby, there wouldn't have been an indictment.
It's the testimony and/or statements of the WH insiders -- Cheney, Fleischer etc -- that Libby knew about Plame's status before talking to Russert or Cooper that will sink Scooter.
Libby testified he was surprised when Russert allegedly told him Wilson's wife was in the CIA. But the insiders told Fitz and the jury that Libby had that info from various government sources weeks before he talked to Russert on July 10.
Add Miller's testimony (from her "found" notes) that Libby was talking about Wilson's CIA wife on June 23 and the case seems pretty firm.
"I want – I didn't want to – I didn't know if it was true and I didn't want people – I didn't want the reporters to think it was true because I said it. I – all I had was that reporters are telling us that, and by that I wanted them to understand it wasn't coming from me and that it might not be true. Reporters write things that aren't true sometimes, or get things that aren't true. So I wanted to be clear they didn't, they didn't think it was me saying it. I didn't know it was true and I wanted them to understand that. Also, it was important to me to let them know that because what I was telling them was that I don't know Mr. Wilson. We didn't ask for his mission. That I didn't see his report." "Basically, we didn't know anything about him until this stuff came out in June. And among the other things, I didn't know he had a wife. That was one of the things I said to Mr. Cooper. I don't know if he's married. And so I wanted to be very clear about all this stuff that I didn't, I didn't know about him. And the only thing I had, I thought at the time, was what reporters are telling us."
What Libby is saying is that he lied to reporters. He never says he didn't know Valaries status. He simply say's that reporters were reporting this. Russert now lies and claims he didn't say this to Libby but that is simply his word against Libby. Read this Libby seems to be going out of his way to make clear that he did not take responsibility himself for this claim. Rather he attributed it to Russet. Fitz is so partisan though that he twist the denyal into Libby denying knowledge rather than Libby denying this to other reporters.
This is a real partisan hack job.