Today knowledge has power. It controls access to opportunity and advancement.

Affairs of state tend to drive most presidents toward the center on both foreign and domestic policy no matter where on the political spectrum they begin and especially so in the areas of intelligence and law enforcement.

Since 2001 the Patriot Act has provided the means to detect and disrupt terrorist threats against the U.S. Prior to enactment of the law major legal barriers prevented intelligence national defense and law enforcement agencies from working together and sharing information.

I am committed to ensure that our intelligence community law enforcement medical professionals and military have the information and funding needed to protect the American people from threats at home and abroad.

Terrorists continue to exploit divisions between law enforcement and the intelligence communities that limit the sharing of vital counterterrorism information.

The PATRIOT Act brought down the wall separating intelligence agencies from law enforcement and other entities charged with protecting the Nation from terrorism.

The Patriot Act removed major legal barriers that prevented the law enforcement intelligence and national defense communities from talking and coordinating their work to protect the American people and our national security.

I can tell you that the Canadian intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been providing outstanding co-operation with our intelligence and law enforcement agencies as we work together to track down terrorists here in North America and put them out of commission.

These are Canadian and United States intelligence and law enforcement offices who are working in teams and who are using good intelligence and good law enforcement to really stop the criminals and terrorists before they ever get to the border.

In order to be successful against each of these threats we have to have a presence overseas work closely not only with our counterparts in the law enforcement community but also with the intelligence community.