Susan Rice may be poised to make a major comeback, as reports name the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. a top contender for the National Security Advisor position that Tom Donilon is expected to vacate later this year.
It’s a great achievement for Rice, who was forced to withdraw her name from consideration for the Secretary of State position after unrelenting attacks from Republicans, who accused her of incompetence and even questioned her honesty in a series of attacks on her remarks on Sunday talk shows in the days after the Benghazi attack. Even though the facts proved that Rice was following protocol by referencing talking points provided by the intelligence community, her critics were resolute in their opposition.
John McCain declared war on her possible candidacy for the post before it was ever official. “I will do everything in my power to block her from becoming Secretary of State,” he said.
But he won’t have the opportunity this time either. Because the NSA position isn’t an official cabinet job, it doesn’t require Senate confirmation. However, it remains one the most influential in the White House and would allow Rice to play to her strengths as she helps to shape foreign policy.
“I think that Susan always maintains close relations with the president and his national security team, and that continues to be the case,” Ben Rhodes, the spokesman for the National Security Council, told the Washington Post. “If anything, the way she handled the Benghazi situation—and then the withdrawal—only enhanced her relations here, because she did so with grace and good humor.”
The battle over Benghazi and the Secretary of State position may have left her reputation bruised, but it clearly did not dampen her spirit. As the tough talking diplomat joked at the U.N. correspondents ball,
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Morgan Whitaker