( CNN ) -- The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Samantha Power as the next ambassador to the United Nations . The confirmation , by a 87-10 vote , was lauded by President Barack Obama . `` As one of our country 's leading foreign policy thinkers , Samantha knows that our nation 's interests are advanced with strong and principled American leadership , '' Obama said in a statement . Power worked for Obama 's campaign in 2008 until she resigned after referring to Hillary Clinton -- the other leading Democratic contender at the time -- as a `` monster . '' Prior to the confirmation , Power was senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights at the National Security Council and a former special assistant to the president . Power also has written extensively on preventing genocide , with criticism of the United Nations for failing to stop attacks in Bosnia and Rwanda .
The full Senate confirms Power by a 87 - 0 vote . President Obama calls her ` ` one of our country 's leading foreign policy thinkers '' She withdrew from Obama 's 2008 campaign after calling Hillary Clinton a ' monster '