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Gaddafi Asks Obama to End War

Libyan leader sends strange personal letter to the president.

In a characteristically bizarre and rambling letter, embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has asked President Obama to act to stop NATO’s campaign against his regime. Addressing Obama as, "Our dear son, Excellency, Baraka Hussein Abu oumama," and saying he backed the president’s just-announced reelection campaign, Gaddafi called NATO’s campaign “unjust” and requested a cease-fire. It’s the latest sign that Gaddafi, whose forces have been effective against rebels but who has been battered by NATO and high-level defections, may be weakening. But his familiar tone in the three-page letter matches previous correspondence with Obama, which has perplexed the administration. The White House confirmed receipt of the letter, but gave no indication it intended to act on it.