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(Image source: Flickr / Obama-Biden Transition Project)
BY NATHAN BYRNE
It's not Secretary of State, but Susan Rice is reportedly still getting a pretty important
job at the White House.
CBS reports national security adviser Tom Donilon will resign and President Obama will
name Rice as his successor Wednesday afternoon.
Rice currently serves as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. She appeared to be
in line to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. But she dropped out of consideration
and John Kerry got the job instead.
This after Rice's initial statements regarding the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi,
Libya. She said the attack came in response to an anti-Muslim film. That later proved
to be false. (Via WFXT)
Four Americans died in the attack — including U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stephens.
(Via U.S. Department of Defense)
Unlike Secretary of State, the national security adviser position doesn't require Senate confirmation
— which Rice wouldn't likely have gotten in the face of strong Republican opposition.
NBC's chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd says Rice " ... complained about the
'very prolonged, very politicized, very distracting and very disruptive' process of confirmation
hearings."
As for Tom Donilon, the outgoing national security adviser — Fox News asks, what's
next?
"Well he really has been gone for the better part of the last couple of years. We just
haven't heard that much. Remember doing segments about, 'where has he been?' with all of this
national security stuff going on."
ABC's Jonathan Karl said on Twitter the president will nominate Samantha Power to replace Rice
as U.N. ambassador. She's a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who previously ran the Office of Multilateral
Affairs and Human Rights under the Obama administration.
President Obama will reportedly announce Rice's new position at 2 p.m. Eastern time.