 A senior delegation of Libyan rebels met with national security officials at the White House after a week with some military and diplomatic gains. But the US is withholding official recognition. But Washington continued to hold the rebels at arm’s length, with Defense Secretary Robert Gates stating Thursday that the US reluctance to provide lethal aid to the Libyan opposition derives from the fact that “we don’t know who they are.” 
 
 Mr. Obama also appeared to studiously hold back from a full embrace of the rebels by failing to stop by the White House meeting – as he sometimes does in cases where he wishes to convey presidential support. At the same time, however, the White House did indicate that NATO would pursue its air campaign against Qaddafi as long as the Libyan leader continues his assault on the Libyan people. Obama met in the White House Friday with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and officials said the two leaders agreed that the alliance would continue its military role under the UN mandate to protect Libyan civilians. NATO stepped up its bombardment of Libyan targets this week, with some strikes hitting the compound in which Qaddafi is believed to be holed up. That led to speculation that the alliance is trying to kill him as a way of ending what looks increasingly like a stalemate in a civil war between the rebels and forces loyal to Qaddafi. The US, however, insists that the NATO bombing campaign is not an assassination mission. Some urge negotiated settlement 
 
 Some regional experts are insisting, meanwhile, that it is time for a negotiated political settlement to what is becoming an increasingly untenable conflict for Libyan civilians. In a sharp critique of how the NATO military campaign has achieved only “indecisive” results, the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) said Friday it is time for the alliance to switch course and press for a cease-fire and a political agreement. “Instead of stubbornly maintaining the present policy and running the risk that the aftermath will be one of dangerous chaos [the international community] should act now to secure a negotiated end to the civil war and facilitate a new beginning for Libya’s political life,” the ICG said. Americans express considerable ambivalence about the NATO campaign and American involvement in it when asked. But from all the mixed feelings, what comes out on top is support for what is interpreted as Obama’s back-seat participation in the international campaign. According to a Monitor/TIPP poll conducted May 1-6, a plurality of Americans say the US is “doing enough” in the NATO operation to protect Libyan civilians. In the poll, 41 percent said the US is doing “enough,” while 25 percent said the US is doing “too much” and 23 percent said its role is “not enough.” 
 
 Asked to judge Obama’s performance on Libya: Half of those polled said he was doing a “good” or “average” job on the issue, but 16 percent said he was doing an “unacceptable” job while 11 percent said his performance was “excellent.”
– Libyan rebels just can't quite get what they want from the White House. A meeting between a delegation of rebels and US national security advisers yesterday ended with a statement from the US calling the Libyan Transitional National Council a “legitimate and credible interlocutor of the Libyan people”—but the rebels left without the words they were really hoping to hear: official recognition that they are the interim government of Libya. The US also stayed mum on any efforts to share with the rebels any of the $34 billion it holds in Libyan funds, the Christian Science Monitor reports. In another sign the White House isn't offering an open-arms embrace, Obama opted not to stop by the meeting. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday explained some of the Obama administration's reluctance stems from the fact that “we don’t know who they are.” The White House did indicate that it will continue to work with NATO to carry out air raids against Gadhafi, a campaign that ramped up this week as NATO forces bombed a compound where Gadhafi was believed to be hiding. It's rumored that Gadhafi was injured and has fled Tripoli.