Why Did Scooter Libby Pick Tim Russert?

If you have been following the Scooter Libby trial you know that Scooter Libby has pretty consistently contended that he learned of Valerie Plame's connection to Joe Wilson from Tim Russert during a July 2003 phone call. Russert has said that the two didn't talk about Valerie Plame during that phone call. In fairness Russert first told the FBI he couldn't recall discussing Plame with Libby, but later firmed up his position and has steadfastly acknowledged he talked to Libby but denied Plame was ever discussed.

Fitzgerald has presented a mountain of evidence showing that Libby learned of Plame's identity long before he talked to Russert. He has also presented a mountain of evidence indicating that Dick Cheney was obsessed with contradicting Joe Wilson. Cheney thought Wilson had said that Cheney sent him to Niger. Early reporting made it sound like Cheney had directly ordered Wilson to Niger. In fact, Wilson only said that he was sent to Niger by the CIA to check on a concern of the VP. Both Cheney and Wilson were 100% accurate. The mainstream media had simply screwed up the reporting.

Cheney was hot to prove he didn't personally send Wilson. He found out that Wilson's wife was CIA and had something to do with Wilson's selection. He decided to push the story that Wilson's wife had sent Wilson to Niger as a boondoggle. Why anybody would consider a trip to Niger a boondoggle is beyond me, but that was Cheney was peddling to the Right Wing Noise Machine.

Prior to Plame ever being mentioned in the press, and prior to his discussion with Russert, the overwelming evidence proves that Libby had been part of several conversations concerning how Cheney wanted to respond to the report that Cheney had sent Wilson to Niger. Libby is simply lying when he claims he learned about Plame from Russert.

Here has been what troubling me about this whole Libby trial. Something that just doesn't hang together. When Scooter Libby was scrambling for a story that had a chance of holding water, why in the world did he point to a specific conversation with Tim Russert, of all people, as being where he learned that Plame was Wilson's wife. Was he counting on Russert's reported bad memory? Was he counting on Russert's unhealthy coziness with Cheney's office and his chief of staff? After all Dana Milbank has reported that Cheney thinks he owns Tim Russert. You know, they call guys like Russert journalists because they often take notes. Why would Libby reasonably think Russert didn't make notes of their phone conversation? Or was there something else? If so what?

I haven't seen this blogged. If you have post a comment. I am truly puzzled. Just why would Libby point to a specific conversation with a specific journalist to bolster his claim that he didn't learn about Plame from Dick Cheney or some other Administration official, unless he had some reason to believe Russert would back him up. Any other explanation sounds like a pretty stupid move for a very shrewed operator.