This is a word that crops up whenever a military coalition gets underway. It's like making laws, sausage or journalism -- messy up close. Generally, there's a week or two of bumps, and then smooth sailing. Sometimes -- like in Iraq, for example -- it can take years, but that's due more to inept U.S. planning and resourcing than any alliance issues.
The challenge for the Obama Administration is that it went from downplaying the notion of a no-fly zone to flying one almost overnight. Congress felt -- heck, it was -- caught unawares. The White House consulted the UN more than the U.S. legislative bodies, turning lawmakers into dry kindling ready to erupt in flames at the slightest spark. That's why there's a conflagration going on right now on Capitol Hill.