[Cboldt]

"Can you state the paragraph in the indictment where he [Fitzgerald] claims this?"

You made my point by having to put [Fitzgerald] in brackets. Where's the quote from Libby himself? In his GJ testimony he is recalling what he "thought". Is Fitzgerald a mind reader? Maybe Libby did really think and say to himself "I've never heard of Valerie Plame" because that what he wanted Russert to believe.

Obviously, Libby isn't going to out and out say "I knew I looked up Plame's employment with the CIA in June when I told investigators that I first learned of Plame in July conversations with reporters." That would be an overt admission of perjury.

No, Fitgerald is not a mind reader, and he will have to make his case in court. But the contention that Libby did really think and say to himself "I've never heard of Valerie Plame" is counterbalanced by the fact that he cared enough, wondered enough, to go to the effort to call the CIA and ask for himself.

He's going to have to sell the amnesia excuse to the jury.

[ironman]

Obviously, Libby isn't going to out and out say "I knew I looked up Plame's employment with the CIA in June when I told investigators that I first learned of Plame in July conversations with reporters."

No he's not going to claim that. I think he will certainly claim that he did know it when he was speaking with the reporters. It's the GJ that is misinterpreting what he said to them. Libby mislead the reporters, and he tried to explain to the GJ how he did that (what he did say, what he "thought" and what he wanted the reporters to believe), but he didn't do it very well and they can't get it.

Consider this analogy:

Spectator sees marathon runner struggling badly. Really bad.

Runner remembers coach always tells him to think positive thoughts. So he says in his mind: "I feel good. I feel good."

Afterwards, runner says to race offical, "I thought I was feeling good." Official believes he is lying because all the spectators are telling him the runner was feeling bad. But runner is telling the truth, he really did think in his own mind he was feeling good.

Do you get my point now?

Fitzgerald is like an offical that interviews the runner and spectator who's stories differ, but believes the spectator because all the other spectators saw the runner feeling bad. But in fact, the runner really did think "I feel good."