Musical Chairs: Now Power and Sunstein Can Carpool To Work

Back in July, when we covered the nuptials of celebrity professors / Obama advisers Cass Sunstein and Samantha Power, we wrote: “We look forward to seeing the heights to which they will ascend, together, in the administration of President Obama.”

Well, now we know. Both have snagged important positions in the White House. As previously reported, Sunstein, a former colleague of Obama’s from the University of Chicago Law School faculty, was tapped to serve as “regulatory czar” — a big deal in an administration that will be cranking out lots of regulations.

And last night we learned that Samantha Power will be joining hubby Cass at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. From the Associated Press:

Samantha Power, the Harvard University professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author who earned notoriety for calling Hillary Rodham Clinton a ”monster” while working to elect Barack Obama president, will take a senior foreign policy job at the White House….

Officials familiar with the decision say Obama has tapped Power to be senior director for multilateral affairs at the National Security Council, a job that will require close contact and potential travel with Clinton, who is now secretary of state. NSC staffers often accompany the secretary of state on foreign trips.

See, Obama does have a sense of humor! Or, more likely, Obama always planned to give Power a plum position, despite “Monstergate.” Sure, it wasn’t her finest hour; but as a Harvard Law School grad, Power is entitled to a few undiplomatic moments. Speculates Gawker: “If someone really wants to hire you, he’ll make your future boss promise to be nice to you, in exchange for her job.”

Update: More good news for Samantha Power and Cass Sunstein. A tipster tells us: “They’re creating a super-child of the 21st century. She’s pregnant!”

A little more about the Power couple, after the jump.

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If you’ve missed our copious coverage of them and aren’t sure why Sunstein and Power are such a big deal, read this Esquire article, from the magazine’s 75th anniversary issue. The theme of the issue is “The 21st Century starts now,” and the magazine lists the 75 people expected to have the most influence in the next century. There are lots of lawyers — Barack Obama, John Roberts, the Clintons, Noah Feldman — and Sunstein and Power are profiled in a separate piece: “Fun Couple of the 21st Century.”

It’s a fun read (although a bit reminiscent of the 02138 profile of Sunstein and his ex-lover Martha Nussbaum, which came out not long before they broke up). We were envious of Esquire’s access — Sunstein and Power have never responded to our inquiries — until we found out that the reporter is Sunstein’s cousin. Check out the article here.

Adviser Who Made Clinton ‘Monster’ Comment May Become Obama Aide [AP via Gawker]

Fun Couple of the 21st Century [Esquire]

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