Rice to become NSA, Power headed to UN
By Steve Benen
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Wed Jun 5, 2013 10:27 AM EDT
 Getty Images
Susan Rice never did get that apology she deserved from Senate Republicans who tried to destroy her reputation for no reason, but she's nevertheless poised to receive a promotion.
Susan Rice will replace Tom Donilon as national security adviser, the White House is expected to announce Wednesday.
Rice, currently the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, will be formally introduced in her new role by President Barack Obama at 2 p.m. ET. A White House official says Samantha Power, a former special assistant to the president on the National Security Council, will be nominated to replace Susan Rice as the U.N. ambassador.
I suppose it's possible that Rice's GOP detractors -- led by Sens. McCain, Collins, and Graham -- will try to tear her down again, but in this case it doesn't much matter. The NSA post does not require Senate confirmation, so Rice's critics don't have much say in the matter.
Regardless, when rumors of Rice replacing Donilon first surfaced last month, Foreign Policy reported that "prominent Republicans don't seem inclined to make a fuss" about Rice again.
But nearly as interesting is Power's nomination to replace Rice at the United Nations. In campaign circles, Power is perhaps best known for having made an intemperate remark about Hillary Clinton during the 2008 Democratic primaries, a comment that led to her departure from the Obama campaign.
Power's extraordinary career, however, should render this minor incident irrelevant. She is, after all, a Pulitzer-prize winning scholar who has spent most of her professional life combating genocide and raising awareness of human rights abuses and global humanitarian issues.
Up until recently, Power has served as the senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights at the National Security Council. To say Power is qualified to succeed Rice at the U.N. is an understatement. |
