Samantha Power, Activist And Former Journalist, Obama's Pick For U.N. Ambassador

Samantha Power, the sometimes-controversial human rights expert and former advisor to President Barack Obama, has been named by the president as his pick to assume the post of U.N. ambassador, which was recently vacated by Susan Rice.

Up until earlier this year, Power had been a trusted advisor to Obama on the National Security Council, working with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Rice in his intervention in Libya, reported The New York Times. During her time on the council, she also chaired Obama’s Atrocities Prevention Board, which sought to prevent future genocides.

As a journalist, Power served as a correspondent for both Time Magazine and The New Yorker – reporting on crises in Kosovo, Rwanda and Sudan. After covering the Balkan war in Bosnia, she was inspired to write a book on genocide. Titled A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, the book went on to earn Power a Pulitzer Prize.

Although Power's accomplishments are vast, she does have her detractors who point out that her penchant for candor has often landed her in hot water. One such slip of the tongue occurred during Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign in which he squared off against the then-Senator Clinton. Under the impression that she was off the record during an interview with a Scottish newspaper, Power called Clinton a “monster.” She ultimately found herself retiring from Obama's campaign after the remarks were printed.

Rice, who formerly served as the U.N. Ambassador and had been the front-runner to fill Clinton’s shoes as Secretary of State, is returning to the White House as National Security Advisor. Rice removed herself from consideration as Secretary of State following her statements on the Sunday shows regarding the Benghazi attacks, which Republicans attacked her for.

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