Susan Rice has been a strong force in Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. As his foreign-policy adviser, she’s battled her counterparts in John McCain’s campaign both forcefully and convincingly.

So, has all her work earned her a place in President-elect Obama’s Cabinet? Maybe.

Rice, a former assistant secretary of state for President Clinton who is on leave from the Brookings Institution, has been named to Obama’s transition team advisory board, which will help choose his Cabinet members.

But there are also whispers that Rice could possibly be a deputy national security adviser or ambassador to the United Nations – a post some say Caroline Kennedy could also be chosen for, if she even wants it. ABC News says Rice could even be considered for the job of national security adviser.

In 2004, Rice served as senior adviser for national security affairs for John Kerry’s presidential campaign, when John Edwards was his running mate. She served President Clinton as U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs from 1997-2001. From 1995-1997, Rice was special assistant to the president and senior director for African Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC) and, from 1993-1995, was director for International Organizations and Peacekeeping at the NSC. She was also a foreign-policy aide to Michael Dukakis during his 1988 presidential bid.
Whatever her job turns out to be, most believe the mother of two will continue to be a key player in an Obama administration.

Oh, and no, Susan Rice has no relation to the current secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice.