Yellow Crane: " Why did Libby think Russert would lie for him?"
He may not have thought it would ever get that far. Russert would go to the mat for the White House, claiming confidentiality of sources----or so Libby may have thought.
I was reading over at Hullabaloo earlier that Russert has different rules about what he'll use than any other reporter I've ever heard of.
If a source says it, it's confidential unless the source or Russert specifically says/asks that it be used.
Quote:
But Russert's policy is one of his own invention, and it's the kind of policy you'd have if you prized your cozy relationship with powerful people more highly than you prized your role as a reporter. Unquote.
http://digbysblog.blogspot.comAnd in the Libby trial, a witness who worked in the VP's office, Cathie Martin, said that Meet the Press was a good program to get the VP on because it offered "good message control."
OK then. Russert's pliable, prizes access to important people, and wouldn't do a thing to mess that up, right?
Nope. He answered all their questions the very first time they asked him in 2004. Made a big deal about protesting but in fact he simply answered their questions.
But he had that access for the next 3 years, unimpeded.