Every presidency has its secrets, and Barack Obama's administration is no exception.

This morning's New York Times details an administration effort to create "a shadow Internet" to assist political dissidents. They can use the system "to undermine repressive governments that seek to silence them by censoring or shutting down telecommunications networks," the Times reports.

Among the potential targets: Iran, Syria and Libya.

But don't expect administration officials to discuss this project in detail (such as whether they would use it in China). That's not the way covert activity works.

The revelation comes after CIA Director Leon Panetta flew to Pakistan to discuss problems between the two nations flowing from the May operation to kill Osama bin Laden.

But efforts to maintain an intelligence relationship between U.S. and Pakistan -- a key element in the war on terrorism, and in Afghanistan -- continue to snag.

Reports The Associated Press:

As an act of faith to restore relations with the Pakistanis, U.S. intelligence shared the suspected location of explosive material held by the al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network at two compounds in the Pakistani tribal areas, according to a Pakistani and a U.S. official. The U.S. official said that after the intelligence was shared, the explosive material was moved. The Pakistani official told the Associated Press that they checked out the locations, but nothing was there, and that they intend to investigate to dispel U.S. suspicions that the Pakistani intelligence service had tipped off the militants. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence operations.

The New York Times has also reported on expanded covert operations with armed drones and fighter jets in Yemen, amid concern it could become a major base for terrorist operations amid turmoil within its government.

"The acceleration of the American campaign in recent weeks comes amid a violent conflict in Yemen that has left the government in Sana, a United States ally, struggling to cling to power," the Times reports. "Yemeni troops that had been battling militants linked to al Qaeda in the south have been pulled back to the capital, and American officials see the strikes as one of the few options to keep the militants from consolidating power."

Secret activities have been a mainstay of government, especially since the dawn of the Cold War, and remaining so in the age of terrorism.

It's hard to evaluate any of these operations, and administration officials -- whether they work for Obama or George W. Bush -- don't discuss them publicly.

A president's secret operations tend to be judged by history -- if their full scope is ever divulged at all.