The president made the announcement Wednesday in the White House rose garden. Obama picks Rice for NSC chief

President Barack Obama reshuffled his national security team on Wednesday, as he moved United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice to the White House and nominated Samantha Power to take her place in New York.

“This team of people has been extraordinarily dedicated to America. They have made America safer. They have made America’s values live in corners of the world that are crying out for our support and our leadership,” Obama said in a Rose Garden ceremony. “I could not be prouder of these three individuals.”


Obama’s selection of Rice to succeed National Security Adviser Tom Donilon is latest in a series of defiant appointments likely to rile Republicans and fire up Democrats.

Rice 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. Her new role does not require Senate confirmation.

( PHOTOS: Susan Rice’s career)

“I am absolutely thrilled that she’ll be … at my side leading my national security team in my second term,” Obama said of Rice. “Susan understands that there’s no substitute for American leadership. She is at once passionate and pragmatic. I think everybody understands Susan is a fierce champion for justice and human dignity, but she’s also mindful that we have to exercise our power wisely and deliberately.”

Power, an anti-genocide activist and author who won a Pulitzer Prize for “A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide,” will have to face a Senate confirmation process. Obama urged lawmakers to confirm her “without delay.”

Power, the president said, has “been a relentless advocate for American interests and values, building partnerships on behalf of democracy and human rights, fighting the scourge of anti-Semitism and combating human trafficking.”

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 civilians.

( Also on POLITICO: Paul 'can't imagine' promoting Rice)

People close to Obama said early Wednesday that they expected Republicans on the Hill to continue their anti-Rice drumbeat, though they have no authority to stop her nomination — the position is one of the few at the senior level that requires no Senate confirmation.

They also predicted that Power’s confirmation hearings would likely become a forum for criticism of Rice and Clinton — a battle Obama, who was embittered by the attacks against Rice to an extent unmatched by nearly any other episode in his fight-filled presidency, is eager to engage in.

Some conservatives, particularly on the House side, did respond 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 United States.

But a key Senate Benghazi critic, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), said on Twitter that while he disagrees with Obama’s choice, “I’ll make every effort to work w/ her on [important] issues.” The senator also said in a statement that he supports the Power nomination, calling her “well-qualified for this important position” and adding that he hopes “the Senate will move forward on her nomination as soon as possible.”

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 and is departing after spending more than four years in the job. A Foreign Policy report earlier this year described 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.

“I think Tom Donilon has been one of the most effective national security advisers we’ve ever had, and he’s done so without a lot of fanfare and without a lot of fuss,” Obama said during his announcement.

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 China’s new president, 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. Donilon will join the president on the trip, and stay on the job until July.