Political comebacks are a fascinating thing. Five years ago, Samantha Power, a left-leaning foreign policy expert and author of a book on genocide, was trashed all over Washington and forced to resign from the Obama campaign after she told a Scottish newspaper that Hillary Clinton was “a monster.” Today:

The Senate confirmed human rights advocate Samantha Power to become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in an 87-10 vote Thursday afternoon.

President Barack Obama nominated Power, a Pulitzer Prize-winner and former National Security Council aide, after moving former ambassador Susan Rice to his White House team in June. She was an early addition to the Obama team, joining his campaign in 2008 as a foreign policy adviser.

The roll call isn’t posted yet, but according to news stories, among the 10 no votes were Sens. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee. Lee justified his vote by invoking his opposition to the president’s Libya policy: “Ms. Power’s nomination signals the president’s intention to continue using the U.N. to circumvent Congress on important issues while neglecting the need for effective and wide-ranging reforms.” Rubio’s concern was that “she’s being appointed by a president whose foreign policy is fast becoming an utter and absolute failure.”