Update on the Valerie Plame Affair

All the hype this week regarding the coming out parties of Mr Richardson, Mr Obama, and Ms Clinton, followed shortly by the State of the Union, has overshadowed a case of some import: the trial of “Scooter” Libby, Cheney’s former Chief of Staff who faces perjury and obstruction charges. Remember that guy? Luckily, the BBC does.

 

Highlights:

 

1. The defense team’s opening remarks are nothing short of stunning. Counsel Theodore Wells “said that Bush administration officials blamed Mr Libby for the leak to protect President Bush’s top political adviser Karl Rove because of his own disclosures… Mr Libby, who was asked to refute [former ambassador] Joseph Wilson’s criticisms [of Mr Bush’s erroneous claims regarding Iraq’s attempts to buy uranium from Niger], felt betrayed and went to the vice president with his concerns of becoming ‘a sacrificial lamb’, the defense said. After hearing Mr Libby’s concerns, Mr Cheney wrote a note saying that one staffer should not be sacrificed for another, Mr Wells said.”

 

Now that IS interesting. So much for the theories that (a) Mr Libby was taking one for the team; (b) that Mr Rove was innocent!

 

2. Apparently jury selection was gruesome for two reasons: First, “because so many candidates were critical of the White House team, especially Mr Cheney, who is expected to be a major witness.” No surprise here; Mr Cheney consistently polls even lower than Mr Bush—a not too shabby feat. Second, even though “blacks outnumber whites by more than 2-to-1” in the DC area, the jury consists of 10 whites and 2 blacks. Impressive vetting on the part of the defense, I must say.

 

Ugh.

 

-W.