The most significant disclosure from the Libby trial today (in my mind) was that Vice President Cheney and others in the OVP thought that LIbby was being hung out to dry as a scapegoat for Karl Rove and others in the White House.

Cheney himself wrote a note in the fall of 2003-- quoted by Ted Wells, Libby's defense attorney-- in which Cheney dsif the following about Libby: "Not going to portect one staffer [Rove} & sacrifice the guy [Libby] who was asked to stick his neck in the meat grinder because of the imcompetence of others."

While this is going to be a major theme of the defense in the case, and might seem contrived at first glance, Cheney's note was written contemporaneous to the events and apparrently reflected an inherent division-- which I have written about in various National Journal stories-- between the OVP and the White House staff.

For what it is worth, for me, this was the most important disclosure from today's opening arguments.

To read what the NYT has to say about the trial today, click here.

Federal Courthouse, Washington D.C., at the Libby trial:

Despite the saturation media coverage of the trial today, one disclosure overlooked so far has been that former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer took the Fifth Amendment when originally called before the federal grand jury hearing evidence in the CIA leak case.

Fleischer ultimately testified under a grant of immunity.

Fleischer, in turn, if statements by special prosecutor Fitzgerald and Wells are accurate, will be a major government witness against Libby.

Wells indicated today that he plans to sharply question Fleischer's testimony against his client. Among other things, Wells suggested that Fleischer's immunity deal suggested that Fleischer's testimony was suspect because he was given the deal in exchange for incriminating testimony against Libby. Libby and Fleischer might have been not too long ago at the pinacle of power. But now they are just two men squaring off each other in a a fedeal criminal court, each claiming that the other one is lying to save their own skins.

Local blogger makes good. Who would have thought? Our congrats to this blog's friend, Justin.

In other news, opening arguments in the Libby trial in the morning. Wow.

Overdue library book returned after 42 years and eight months. To say anything more would be an injustice to the reporter who wrote the story, Amit Paley.

John A'mato with an update as to how Jane is doing.

Monday morning: Another day of jury selection in the Libby trial. At the very best, opening arguments will commence on Tuesday morning.

From the NYT, what Sen. Jay Rockefeller, (D-W.Va.) the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has to say about the Bush administration's Iran policy:

“To be quite honest, I’m a little concerned that it’s Iraq again. This whole concept of moving against Iran is bizarre.”

Report from the ICU. An update on how Jane is doing.

Ney sentenced to thirty months.

This extraordinary story in the LAT: the gist of which is that not only hasn't Barak Obama tied up support in the African-American community, he very likely never will. The story itsself is another example as to why Peter Wallsten is one of our great political reporters.

Here is his lede and a some key passages:

"As pastor of the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Sumter, S.C., the Rev. James Blassingame feels pride at the thought of electing the country's first black president. But Blassingame, one of his state's most prominent black ministers, will not support Sen. Barack Obama's bid to achieve that historic goal.Instead, the minister will campaign for one of Obama's white rivals for the Democratic nomination, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

"Obama, he said, is a `stranger" with a faraway home and little-known biography, whereas Edwards — `he's a homeboy.' Other black leaders are wary that the relatively untested senator from Illinois might prove weak in the general election.

"`Obama's ambition could bring all of black America down," said state Sen. Robert Ford of South Carolina. "If the Democrats lose control of Congress, we're going to go back and struggle and struggle and struggle'...

'Obama is the only top-tier African American seeking the nomination, but he will have to fight for black votes along with other candidates, some of whom have far stronger ties to black leaders than he does.

"Edwards, for example, is expected to have an advantage in his native state of South Carolina, and his pledges to fight poverty and bring troops home from Iraq are popular with black leaders.
"Clinton, the presumed Democratic front-runner, has decades-old ties with scores of black preachers and civil rights leaders who remain close to her husband, former President Clinton.

"A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey in December found that all three were popular among black voters, but that Clinton received the highest marks. Blassingame speaks fondly of Edwards, who, like the pastor, was born in Seneca, S.C. "I know where he came from, because I came from there," Blassingame said. "I can identify with him, and he can identify with us."

To read the whole thing, click here.

"When Louis Farrahkan walked into the hearing, as this member told me, he asked Mr. Farraakhan to speak."-- journalist Ellen Rattner, asking federal Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle for leniency for disgraced former Congressman Bob Ney.

Paul Kiel has the text of the letter.

Still thinking of Jane and how she is doing. From John.

They still can't pick a jury.

Update: Here is the NYT account of today's attempt at jury selection. Marty Kaplan's take on this all.

Time, Inc. is turning Time, Sports Illustrated, and all of its other media properties into... blogs, and in the process laying off lots and lots of people off.

Who even knew that People had a Washington bureau in the first place?

It does seem tremendously unfair that somehow Joe Klein is the guy to keep his job, too.

Since this is a personal blog, after all, I should assess how this affects me personally.

I don't work for Time, Inc. Yay!