President Obama Authorizes Covert Help for Libyan Rebels Head of House Intel Committee Says Arming Unknown Rebels May Be a Mistake President Obama has a signed a secret presidential finding authorizing covert operations to aid the effort in Libya where rebels are in full retreat despite air support from U.S. and allied forces, a source tells ABC News. The presidential finding discusses a number of ways to help the opposition to Moammar Gadhafi, authorizing some assistance now and setting up a legal framework for more robust activities in the future. The finding does not direct covert operatives to provide arms to the rebels immediately, although it does prepare for such a contingency and other contingencies should the president decide to go down that road in the future. The White House press office issued a statement saying it does not comment on intelligence matters. "I will reiterate what the President said yesterday – no decision has been made about providing arms to the opposition or to any group in Libya. We're not ruling it out or ruling it in," the statement said. "We're assessing and reviewing options for all types of assistance that we could provide to the Libyan people." The revelation of the finding comes as Washington is debating whether to arm the rag tag army trying to oust Libya's long time strongman Moammar Gadhafi. The U.S. has led a coalition of allies enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya and hitting Libyan artillery and armor. Despite the allied muscle, the rebels are now being chased by Gadhafi's forces. To make it harder to identify them from the air, his troops have left behind their tanks and are using pickup trucks armed with heavy weapons, making them hard to distinguish from the rebels. Earlier this week, Obama declined in an interview with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer to rule out arming the Libyan insurgents. When asked by Sawyer whether he would consider sending weapons to the rebels, Obama said, "We are examining all options to support the opposition." White House spokesman Jay Carney repeated echoed Obama today saying the president is "not ruling something in or ruling something out in terms of lethal assistance to the opposition... We're coordinating with the opposition and exploring ways that we can assist them with nonlethal assistance. And we'll look at other possibilities of assistance as we move forward. Rep. Mike Rogers, head of the House Intelligence Committee, warned the Obama administration against sending arms to the Libyan insurgents. "It's safe to say what the rebels stand against," Rogers, R-Mich. said. "But we are a long way from an understanding of what they stand for. We don't have to look very far back in history to find examples of the unintended consequences of passing out advanced weapons to a group of fighters we didn't know as well as we should have." "We need to be very careful before rushing into a decision that could come back to haunt us," Rogers said. Those wary of arming the Libyan opposition cite several reservations. The U.N. resolution that authorized airstrikes also embargoes weapon shipments to Libya. But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has suggested that the embargo on weapons likely applies only to those sold to the government. read the rest on this link http://abcnews.go.com/International...libyan-rebels/comments?type=story&id=13259028 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ if it is covert then why do I know about it ? Anyway , is this a good idea ?
This is only the beginning folks. First no fly zone. ( aka Bombing) Now funding Rebels ...... and what does the US/UN do if a "peoples" revolution breaks out in Saudi Arabia or Iran?
Like I said on my Facebook page after I linked an article about this very topic: I think it's time that our government workers go back to school and take some History classes. And whilst they're at it, they can take some Finance/Economics courses, too. I'd gladly let my tax dollars go to teaching these politicians a few things they've forgotten along the way. :smt081 WTF is Obama doing? UGH. This is NOT going to end well.
I didnt know you were posting, damn now I got to find adjectives to describe you, lol. BTW, I agree with your sentiments... I have given up on Obama, oh well.
Apparently not so secret..... Did everyone ignore the President's statement on the American position regarding Libya. The American foreign policy regarding Libya is Gadhafi must go! The President said it to everyone. He is simply following up his statement. I'm pretty sure he wasn't speaking Latin (a "dead" language)
LOL! I've been posting for a week. Don't worry, I added the adjectives for you. :smt023 Yeah, Obama doesn't seem to be different from any of the other recent Presidents we've had. :smt012
Yes I am ok with it. Liberal's need to get off the liberal high horse and realize sometimes war is necessary. It's even better to fight a war that against an enemy you haven't officially declared war against. Where would America be if France did not decide to help the struggling American colonies declare independence from a common enemy over 235 years ago? We would all be singing God Save The Queen right about now, that's where. We, as the founders of "modern" democracy, have an obligation to defend the peoples of the world that are fighting for their independence as a people. Or, if not defend, help to liberate. That , is our official role in this new Libyan conflict, as much as the tree hugging, marijuana smoking, peace on Earth far left objects to it. They voted for a man who they thought would sit in a circle with them around a campfire, smoke a peace pipe, and sing Kumbaya. I'm sorry that all their dreams and hopes of the the newly elected Leader of the Free World were not completely founded. I think I just made my point above....:smt069
Taking a group of people who share a belief on Libya and associating them with a marginal/less socially accepted group is something the neo-con pundits do all the time. and The Leader of the Free World is not an official title and is an example of American Exceptionalism.
The French? LOL, As if their participation in the American revolution was merely about Liberté, they had as much ulterior motive and self interest in us defeating the British, as we have in seeing "the rebels" toss out Gaddafi in Libya. Louis XVI should have been helping his poor.
:smt023 People trip me out with bullshit like "Bush got us into Iraq" and "Obama got us in Libya" as if Wall Street owned politicians control the war machine. People actually believe Joseph Biden and Barak Obama run the country..lol..those crackheads couldn't run a taco stand.:smt081
"The leader of the free world" is just cheap propaganda. Politicians are not leaders.. Obama is a POLITICIAN. Show me a man following a politician and I'll show you a fool headed in the wrong direction.