Senate panel approves U.S. Libya mission

President Barack Obama got one bit of welcome news from Capitol Hill today, when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to approve the United States' limited role in international military operations in Libya.

Four Republicans joined all the committee's Democrats to approve the resolution in a 14 to 5 vote.

The measure "imposes a one-year limit on U.S. intervention and prohibits U.S. ground forces," the AP reports.

The vote also "puts the panel at odds with the House," the AP notes. Last week, the GOP-controlled House voted overwhelmingly last week against a similar resolution. But in a sign of its own ambivalence on the measure, the House voted against a second resolution last week which would have cut off funding for the operation.