Ambassador Susan Rice Gets The Last Word

Nine months ago, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was perfectly situated and considered next in line for secretary of State. Then, after attacks in Benghazi left four dead, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Rice found herself persona non grata.

Her crime? Going on the Sunday morning talk show network to run through her understanding of the events as caused by a mob, rather than the work of terrorists. Republicans argued she was complicit in a cover-up to help the president’s re-election. Since then, an abundance of evidence has shown that Rice had almost nothing to do with the debate between the CIA and the State Department over how to characterize the attacks. But when Rice publicly rescinded her name from consideration for secretary of state, the GOP claimed victory.
But Rice’s prospects are suddenly looking up—way, way up. Obama announced today that he would be appointing her as his National Security Agency advisor. The position doesn’t require Senate approval, meaning Rice gets to avoid what would inevitably be a brutal set of hearings. The focus isn’t likely to be Libya, but Syria; Rice will likely back up the president’s reticence for more intervention.
Everyone supposedly loves a comeback story—but conservatives and Republicans who were responsible for Rice’s fall in the first place weren’t so pleased with the announcement. WaPo conservative columnist Jenifer Rubin called the appointment “an in-your-face insult to Congress.” Utah’s Republican Senator Jason Chaffetz tweetedthat "Judgement is key to national security matters. That alone should disqualify Susan Rice from her appointment.