President Bush Discusses the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and Funding For Troops VIDEO PODCAST

President George W. Bush addresses his remarks to reporters Friday, June 20, 2008 at the White House, thanking members of the House and Senate for their bipartisan cooperation in reaching agreement on war funding and intelligence gathering legislation. White House photo by Eric Draper

President Bush Discusses the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and Funding For Troops FULL STREAMING VIDEO Oval Office Patio 9:11 A.M. EDT. PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week Congress moved forward on two important issues affecting the national security of our country.

Yesterday the House passed a responsible war funding bill that will provide vital resources to our men and women on the front lines in the war on terror. This legislation gives our troops the funds they need to prevail without tying the hands of our commanders in the field or imposing artificial timetables for withdrawal.

The bill also supports our military families by passing an expansion of the GI Bill that makes it easier for our troops to transfer unused education benefits to their spouses and their children. I want to thank the members of Congress for their action on this legislation, and I urge the Senate to pass it as soon as possible.

Members of the House and Senate also reached a bipartisan agreement yesterday on legislation to allow our intelligence professionals to quickly and effectively monitor the plans of terrorists abroad, while protecting the liberties of Americans here at home.

My Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General tells me that this is a good bill. It will help our intelligence professionals learn our enemies' plans for new attacks. It ensures that those companies whose assistance is necessary to protect the country will themselves be protected from liability for past or future cooperation with the government.

The enemy who attacked us on September the 11th is determined to strike this country again. It's vital that our intelligence community has the ability to learn who the terrorists are talking to, what they're saying, and what they are planning.

I encourage the House of Representatives to pass this bill today, and I ask the Senate to take it up quickly so our intelligence professionals can better protect Americans from harm.

I'm pleased with the bipartisan cooperation on both these bills, and I thank the members for their efforts. Thank you.

END 9:13 A.M. EDT For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 20, 2008

J. Patrick Rowan Biography

The President intends to nominate J. Patrick Rowan, of Maryland, to be Assistant Attorney General (National Security Division) at the Department of Justice. Mr. Rowan currently serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General (National Security Division) at the Department of Justice. Prior to this, he served as Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice. Earlier in his career, he served as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General. Mr. Rowan received his bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and his JD from the University of Virginia.

Acting Assistant Attorney General J. Patrick Rowan

J. Patrick Rowan became the Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security on March 31, 2008. Mr. Rowan previously served as the NSD’s Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General. As the Principal Deputy, Mr. Rowan supervised the NSD’s prosecutors in the Counterterrorism and Counterespionage Sections and focused on the Department’s efforts to disrupt terrorists and other national security threats through investigation and prosecution.

Prior to the establishment of the NSD, from November, 2005, to October, 2006, Mr. Rowan served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General and assisted in the management of national security functions for the Justice Department. In that position, Mr. Rowan was the Department’s liaison to the intelligence community and supervised the formation of the NSD. Before that, he held a number of positions in the Department, including Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, Special Counsel for the Office of General Counsel of the FBI, and Counsel to the Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys. From 1991 to 2002, Mr. Rowan served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, where he prosecuted a range of offenses, including fraud, public corruption, and homicide. Before joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Mr. Rowan was an associate at Covington & Burling.

Mr. Rowan graduated from Dartmouth College, cum laude, and the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif.