Obama tries to regain control of security debate

By Ross Colvin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama sought on Thursday to regain control of the debate on U.S. national security in a major speech that also sketched his plan for closing Guantanamo Bay prison within a year.

* Opposition Republicans, led by former Vice President Dick Cheney, have tried to portray Obama's decision to close Guantanamo prison, which houses 240 terrorism suspects, as a threat to U.S. national security. Despite polls showing most Americans approve of Obama's handling of national security, the attacks on his approach in Congress and in the media have been a distraction as he tries to rescue the recession-hit economy.

* Obama's speech on Thursday contained few concrete details and may do little to satisfy fellow Democrats who have demanded a detailed plan on closing Guantanamo before they approve the necessary money to do it. He said some Guantanamo inmates may be moved to top security prisons in the United States, but this will prove a tough sell among lawmakers have already voiced concern about having prisoners moved to their state.

* Obama's decision to deliver the speech in the National Archives, home to the United States' most important documents, including the Constitution and Bill of Rights, was his most concerted effort yet to regain the initiative from Republicans and explain to Americans the decisions he has taken on national security and how he plans to deal with Guantanamo's inmates when the prison at a U.S. Naval base in Cuba is closed.

* Obama repeatedly stressed that his national security policies were based on the rule of law and represented a sharp break with those of his predecessor George W. Bush, which he said had undercut rather than strengthened U.S. national security.

* Obama has faced criticism from both the left and the right over his decisions to block the release of photos of alleged detainee abuse, reviving military commissions to prosecute terrorism suspects, and the publication of documents detailing Bush-era interrogation techniques. In responding to critics on Thursday, he sought to portray himself as tough on security while still promising a more transparent government.