Blagojevich said he "slept great" last night.

He walked over to shake hands with a supporter who shouted: "I'm with you!"

"I fought for you the whole way," Blagojevich said. "I never let you down."

He then embraced legendary New York author Jimmy Breslin and walked inside, introducing him to the press throng gathered in the lobby.

Standing next to Patti in a suit and blue tie, Blagojevich was calm and composed as he addressed reporters for about two mintues. He called today "historic" and said the public and media have been "lied to."

"This is frankly a new beginning," he said. "Finally you'll be able to hear the things I've been dying to tell you ... and it begins with opening statements."

The defense attorneys appeared calm minutes later in a ride up the Dirksen Building elevator. Sam Adam Jr., who will be delivering the opening statements, admitted to being nervous last night but said he was calm now.

Then the elevator lurched to a stop between floors and the elevator fell silent.

"Guess we got our continuance," Sheldon Sorosky said.

The elevator stayed still for several moments, with the attorneys growing visibly nervous. When it finally began moving and the doors opened nine floors too early, they hurriedly exited and proceeded to the 25th floor -- in a different elevator.