Obama's chief of staff: Libya requires global response - The Oval: Tracking the Obama presidency

Obama's chief of staff: Libya requires global response - The Oval: Tracking the Obama presidency

y David Jackson, USA TODAY

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By Carolyn Kaster, AP

White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said today he is confident the United States and its allies will form a global response to the apparent civil war in Libya, and he downplayed the notion of establishing a no-fly zone, at least in the near term.

"The president knows that the ultimate decision he has to make, at times, is to put men and women in harm's way, and you do that only with great consultation with your allies," Daley said on NBC's Meet The Press. "You can do that in a way that can protect those young men and women."

Daley echoed comments by Defense Secretary Robert Gates by noting that creating a no-fly zone would require military action to knock out Libyan anti-air defenses. "Lots of people throw around phrases of 'no-fly zone,' and they talk about it as if it's just a ... video game or something. Some people who throw that line out have no idea what they're talking about," Daley said.

The U.S. and its allies have been talking for weeks "to try to have a coordinated effort to bring pressure" on Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

"As the president said, all options are on the table," Daley said. "But this has to be an international effort. It cannot be done by one country."