Italian media is claiming that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is dead.  They point out that it’s been nine days since he was seen in public, since the time a NATO airstrike killed one of his sons.

Several foreign envoys are also spreading the rumor by saying there is talk within the Libyan government about who will take charge.  If Gaddafi is dead, then it is proof that he was not in total control of the Libyan government, because the Libyan military continues to pound rebel positions.  It might also explain why NATO leaders stated, a second time, that there is no military solution to Libya.