Susan Rice to be new NSA, Samantha Power to replace her at U.N.
National Security Adviser Tom Donilon is stepping down after four years on the job and will be replaced by United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice — the latest in a series of defiant appointments likely to rile the GOP and fire up the Democratic base.
Obama will nominate Samantha Power, an anti-genocide activist and author who won a Pulitzer Prize for "A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide," as Rice's replacement.
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PHOTOS: Samantha Power
The appointments of Rice and Power not only represent the ascension of women to top roles on Obama's national security team, but the rise of two officials who have made human rights a priority — at a time when the U.S. faces an agonizing decisions over Syria where President Bashar al-Assad has killed tens of thousands of civlilans.
Obama wiill make the announcement Wednesday during a Rose Garden announcement at which he will also name a replacement for Rice, 48. The U.N. ambassador had been a leading contender to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, but withdrew herself from consideration in December after Republicans sharply criticized her public statements following the Sept. 11, 2012 attack in Benghazi.
People close to Obama expect Republicans on the Hill to continue their anti-Rice drumbeat, but they have no authority to stop her nomination — the position is one of the few at the senior level that requires no Senate confirmation.
Power will have to be confirmed by the Senate, and her hearings are likely to become a forum for criticism of Rice and Clinton, officials predicted.
Obama is eager for that fight, and was embittered by the attacks against Rice to an extent unmatched by nearly any other episode in his fight-filled presidency.
Conservatives responded quickly — and negatively — to the Rice pick.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), one of the administration's harshest critics on the Benghazi attacks, Tweeted: "Judgement is key to national security matters. That alone should disqualify Susan Rice from her appointment. #benghazi #BadChoice."
And the Drudge Report quickly posted a link to Rice's now-infamous appearances on Sunday talk shows last September, in which she erroneously read talking points claiming the the terrorist attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens was a spontaneous assault linked to an anti-Islamic film produced in the U.S.
The picks were greeted with excitement among Democrats, who were heartened by Obama's willingness to promote two of the highest profile women in the administration in the face of GOP opposition.
"Both are brilliant women with many years of foreign policy experience and the strong trust of the president, so they will likely have a lot of sway in their new positions," said Neera Tanden, head of the Center for American Progress, an influential Washington think-tank with ties to the White House.
Donilon, 58, is a low-key veteran Washington insider known for his long work hours. A Foreign Policy report earlier this year cited tensions between Donilon, a former Fannie Mae executive with close ties to Vice President Joe Biden, and his one-time deputy Denis McDonough, now Obama's chief of staff.
An administration official, speaking last week, downplayed the friction but conceded it was awkward for Donilon "to be working for a guy who once worked for him."
Donilon, who came into the national security job with less experience than many of his predecessors in the job, will be largely be remembered for his commitment to centering foreign policy decisions in the West Wing and his quiet but forceful determination to keep U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts to a minimum.
Rice, a former Clinton administration official, is likely to retain Donilon's policy of controlling decision-making — but has pushed for a more muscular U.S. posture during recent crises, especially in Libya.
Power, an Irish-born author on human rights and genocide, served as an aide at the National Security Council as the senior director for multilateral affairs and was named chair of the Atrocities Prevention Board that Obama created last year. She is married to Cass Sunstein, a Harvard professor who served in the administration as an adviser on innovation and government streamlining.
The announcements come as Obama prepares for his first face-to-face meeting with the new leader of China Xi Jinping to discuss a variety of sensitive national security issues, including the growing problem of cyber hacking — a sit-down that Donilon helped arrange.
