What You Need to Know About Samantha Power

After promoting the controversial Susan Rice to National Security Adviser, Obama announced Wednesday that Samantha Power is his pick to replace Rice as the United Nations (UN) ambassador. Human rights activists praised Obama for selecting Power, who will become the new ambassador if approved by the Senate.

Not super-familiar with the nominee? We've got a Power Primer for you, so you know who's up for the job:

• As a journalist, Power covered the conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Sudan, and Zimbabwe.

• In 2003, Power won a Pulitzer Prize for her book, A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. The book examines U.S. Policy regarding genocide and why it has failed.

• Power formerly worked as a White House adviser and in the White House’s human rights office.

• A long time supporter of President Obama, Power worked for him when he was still a senator in 2005 as a foreign policy fellow. She worked on his 2008 presidential campaign too, until she resigned after calling Hillary Clinton a monster.

• Human rights activist praise Obama for his selection of Power, who describes herself as a “genocide chick.”

One of the best ways to get a perspective on Power, her views and what she’d bring to the table as a UN ambassador: through her writing. Here, two of her strongest articles on foreign policy:

• Opinion piece in the New York Times on why the U.S. should take action in Sudan

• Criticism of the Bush administration and invasion of Iraq ran in the Los Angeles Times

Although Power has been praised for her work, she’s also faced criticism from Fox News and has been labeled one of the 10 most dangerous people in Obama’s administration by Sean Hannity. Power was also called the most dangerous woman in America by Glenn Beck, also of Fox News.

Not without controversy, I'm sure, we'll see how her confirmation goes in the Senate.

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