US ambassador to UN Susan Rice tipped as national security adviser
Political rehabilitation for ambassador to the UN after missing out as potential secretary of state
US ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice is set to become President Barack Obama's national security adviser after the disappointment of being forced out of contention for secretary of state, it is being reported.
According to The Washington Post, Rice has emerged as the "far and away" favourite to replace incumbent Thomas Donilon later this year.
If Sunday's report proves true, it would mark a speedy political rehabilitation for the senior diplomat, whose bid to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton in the State Department was derailed under a barrage of Republican criticism over her potential nomination.
Having been widely tipped to become Obama's second-term secretary of state, Rice was forced to pull out from consideration in December amid complaints over her handling of the Benghazi consulate attack in which four Americans, including ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed.
Rice was forced to pull out from consideration in December amid complaints over her handling of the Benghazi consulate attack in which four Americans, including ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed
Rice had initially suggested during TV interviews that the assault was sparked by a demonstration over a US-made anti-Muslim film. She later acknowledged that this assessment was wrong and that the attack, coinciding with the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, had been mounted by al-Qaeda-linked groups.