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It is all over the news today that Obama signed a secret Libya order authorizing support for Libyan "rebels". According to US Government officials, this "presidential finding" authorized covert U.S. government support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and was signed THREE WEEKS AGO by President Obama.

The New York Times also reports today:

"WASHINGTON — The Central Intelligence Agency has inserted clandestine operatives into Libya to gather intelligence for military airstrikes and make contacts with rebels battling Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces, according to American officials.

While President Obama has insisted that no American ground troops join in the Libyan campaign , small groups of C.I.A. operatives have been working in Libya for several weeks and are part of a shadow force of Westerners that the Obama administration hopes can help set back Colonel Qaddafi’s military, the officials said." SOURCE

According to the Huffington Post, such findings are a principal form of presidential directive used to authorize secret operations by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA and the White House have declined immediate comment on the disclosure but the allies are now quite openly discussing the possibility of sending arms supplies to Gaddafi's opponents.

The Huffington Post describes these "special operations":

"People familiar with U.S. intelligence procedures said that Presidential covert action "findings" are normally crafted to provide broad authorization for a range of potential U.S. government actions to support a particular covert objective.

In order for specific operations to be carried out under the provisions of such a broad authorization -- for example the delivery of cash or weapons to anti-Gaddafi forces -- the White House also would have to give additional "permission" allowing such activities to proceed.

Former officials say these follow-up authorizations are known in the intelligence world as "'Mother may I' findings."
In 2009 Obama gave a similar authorization for the expansion of covert U.S. counter-terrorism actions by the CIA in Yemen. The White House does not normally confirm such orders have been issued." SOURCE

The article refers to an earlier article by Gary Thomas in VOA News of March 4, 2011 where the author explores whether covert action was being undertaken to remove Gadhafi?

Gary Thomas defines US "covert action" as:

"any U.S. government effort to change the economic, military, or political situation overseas in a hidden way. Intelligence professionals consider it to be different than clandestine operations, which cover more traditional espionage and counterintelligence activities. Covert action can encompass many things, including propaganda, covert funding, electoral manipulation, arming and training insurgents, and even encouraging a coup." SOURCE

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