Clinton Says US Cannot Abandon Libya

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is welcoming rejection of a bill in the House to cut funding for U.S. operations in Libya. She says that "time and history" are on the side of the U.S. and its allies and they need to stand together to see the NATO mission through.

Speaking at the State Department on Friday shortly after the House vote, Clinton said there is a plan to finish the mission in support of the Libyan people and that Congress should not hinder the administration's ability to implement it.

Earlier Friday in a largely symbolic vote, the House refused to give President Barack Obama the authority for military operations in Libya. But lawmakers stopped short of voting to cut off some funds for the mission.