Attorney General Michael Mukasey was rushed to the hospital for medical attention after he collapsed while holding a speech on Thursday night. The 67-year-old Attorney General lost conscious as he was speaking to the audience.

Mukasey, a retired federal judge from New York City, had already spoken for about 15 to 20 minutes about terrorism, but at some point he began shaking and slurring his words. He stumbled on a word, stopped and his head owed slightly and he fell on the floor.

The speech was being held at the Federalist Society's annual dinner at a northwest Washington hotel. Mukasey collapsed at about 10:20 p.m. Eastern.

The Attorney General was taken by ambulance to George Washington University Hospital situated nearby, said Peter A. Carr, chief spokesman for the department.

"The attorney general is conscious, conversant and alert. His vital statistics are strong and he is in good spirits," Peter Carr, chief spokesman for the department, said in a statement two hours after the incident.

President George Bush has been informed about the incident and the White House issued a statement through its Press Secretary Dana Perino who said:

"The president has him in his thoughts and will be kept apprised, and hopes that he will be back up and at 'em again soon."

After he collapsed, Mukasey remained on the stage for about 10 minutes as his security and medical staff was attending to him. According to eyewitnesses, the Attorney General regained consciousness before leaving the room where he was holding his speech, The Associated Press reported.

Mukasey became Attorney General about a year ago succeeding the controversial Alberto R. Gonzales. He was a very successful federal judge in New York. Mukasey presided over important cases, such as the terrorism prosecution of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 11 codefendants accused of conspiring to blow up numerous sites in the city.