Cheney to take on Obama security stance in speech

Cheney is set to take swipes at Obama over GITMO Thursday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney Thursday will critique President Barack Obama's national security decisions and philosophy and defend the moves of the Bush administration, two of his advisers told CNN.

He will be delivering the address at the American Enterprise Institute at nearly the same time that Obama makes what his administration says is a major address on national security. In his speech, the president will rally support for his plan to shut down the military prison at Guantanamo Bay.

"When President Obama makes wise decisions ... he deserves our support," Cheney will say, according to an excerpt of his speech. "And when he faults or mischaracterizes the national security decisions we made in the Bush years, he deserves an answer."

One adviser said the former vice president will "challenge the Obama administration's rationale for closing Guantanamo Bay" and argue that "our values are not abrogated by prioritizing security for innocents over rights for terrorists."

Related: Obama to lay framework for closing Gitmo

The adviser - who worked on the speech - said Cheney "will dispute the assertion" that targeting militants backfired and "was a recruitment tool" for terror groups.

Cheney will also repeat his call for the release of CIA memos "about the effectiveness of enhanced interrogation techniques" and he will address the criticism of the CIA by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, this adviser said.

The second adviser, who was also involved in the preparation of the speech, said Cheney will cite the effectiveness of the Bush administration's war on terror.

"Cheney will talk about the broad strategic approach to the war on terror adopted during the Bush administration, and explain why it is so dangerous for the country to return to the days when we treated this as a law enforcement matter, not as a war," the second adviser said.

In discussing the effectiveness of the fight against terror, Cheney will list policies such as "establishing and keeping open Gitmo (the Guantanamo Bay detention facility), enhanced interrogation, terrorist surveillance and fighting this war on the offense."

The adviser said Cheney will make clear that the discussions over national security are not "a look backward," but an assessment of policy over the last eight years and how the country should move forward. And, he will describe the importance of basing national security policies on "a truthful telling of history."

In recent weeks, conservative critics have blasted Obama for what they see as missteps on national security. In addition to the controversy over closing Guantanamo, Obama released Bush-era memos detailing "enhanced interrogation techniques" of suspected al Qaeda members.

Obama also upset those on the left last week by reversing course on a decision to release alleged prisoner abuse photos and deciding to resume - with expanded legal protections - the Bush administration's controversial system of military trials for some Guantanamo detainees.

The president will address all of those issues, in addition to state secrets, transparency and protecting national security, in his speech Thursday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.

Obama's proposal to close Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, which holds military detainees suspected of terrorist activity, has been met with opposition from both sides of the aisle.

Following in the steps of House Democrats, Senate Democrats rejected on Tuesday the administration's request for $80 million to close the Guantanamo facility. They instead asked that Obama first submit a plan spelling out what the administration will do with the prisoners when it closes the prison.

Obama's address is scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT at the National Archives. Cheney will speak before the American Enterprise Institute at 10:45 a.m.