Potentially great news for allied forces. Members of Col. Muammar Qaddafi's inner-circle are "exploring" their options and looking for ways to jump ship, said Hillary Clinton in an interview with ABC News.

"We've heard about other people close to him reaching out to people that they know around the world -- Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, beyond -- saying what do we do? How do we get out of this? What happens next?" the Secretary of State said.

As for Qaddafi himself, Clinton said, "I'm not aware that he personally has reached out, but I do know that people allegedly on his behalf have been reaching out."

She also said she's received unconfirmed reports that Qaddafi's son has been killed during the air strike.

In an initial reaction to news of people jumping ship, foreign policy analyst Andrew Exum responded simply "Awesome if true."

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John Hudson