Following today's indictment of Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Congressman Harold Ford, Jr. issued the following statement: "Today's indictment of Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby, in connection with the leak of a CIA operative's name is not good for the Vice President or President. Mr. Libby, like any other American defendant in a case against the United States, is presumed innocent until proven guilty. He will have a chance to defend himself soon. My prayers go out to him and his family during this difficult time.
"It is now important that we rekindle people's confidence in government's ability to work for them. The next few weeks will test the White House and Congress. We should rise to the occasion by working together to pass a balanced budget that does not shove more debt on middle class Americans. We should also craft a rebuilding plan for the Gulf Coast that is paid for not by cutting programs for poor and middle-class working Americans, but by asking everyone to share proportionately in the cost.
"The President should also take a hard look at his team and make some changes that will restore confidence in his judgment, integrity and ability to get things done. The country is expecting him to lead. And, he should."
