Things are looking bleak for Libby in the Libby/Cheney perjury trial. Five government officials have thrown Libby under the bus refuting his testimony under oath in front of a grand jury that he did not know anything about Valarie Plame until after July 10. Not so, say the five. The 800-pound elephant in the room is; will Libby throw Vice President Dick Cheney under the bus? Self-preservation is a strong instinct. Of course, there is always the expected pardon. Of course, a pardon does not keep Plame/Wilson from expanding their civil suit against Libby, adding Cheney and Bush would be a nice touch. A hundred million dollar civil penalty would be sweet justice. 

Five government officials, including ex-White House press secretary  Ari Fleischer, also have testified that they discussed Plame and her CIA job with Libby before July 10.

Earlier Tuesday, the jury saw notes Libby took on or about June 12 that indicated Cheney himself told Libby then that the war critic’s wife worked at the CIA.

The discrepancy over when Libby learned about Plame is a major element in the charges on which he is being tried. He is not accused of leaking her name but rather of perjury and obstruction of the investigation into how her name leaked. Libby now says his memory failed him when he spoke with Russert and other reporters.