May be the answer:
9.50pm: The New York Times has significant behind-the-scenes details from the Paris summit, with claims that France’s unilateral decision to strike Libya “angered some of the countries gathered at the summit meeting” – and suggestions that France blocked earlier Nato action.
The implication is that Nicolas Sarkozy wanted the limelight while the Paris summit was under-way.
The New York Times reports:
That news [of French air strikes] came even before the Paris summit meeting adjourned, with President Nicolas Sarkozy announcing that French warplanes had begun reconnaissance missions around Benghazi, and the French military saying that a Rafale jet fighter had destroyed a government tank near there.
Even though the leaders at the Paris summit meeting were united in supporting military action, there were signs of disagreement over how it would proceed.
Two senior Western diplomats said the Paris meeting, which was organized by Mr Sarkozy, may actually have delayed allied operations to stop Colonel Gaddafi’s troops as they were approaching Benghazi. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the matter.
The initial French air sorties, which were not coordinated with other countries, angered some of the countries gathered at the summit meeting, according to a senior Nato-country diplomat. Information about the movement of Gaddafi troops toward Benghazi had been clear on Friday, but France blocked any Nato agreement on airstrikes until the Paris meeting, the diplomat said, suggesting that overflights could have begun Friday night before Mr Gaddafi’s troops reached the city.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/19/libya-no-fly-zone-live-updates
Ah, so its a war of egos. Obama, not to be outdone by the French, launches the next wave of attacks.
Thanks. It just seemed to me the attack was quite uncoordinated, and the Times story bears this out.
War by committee....Ugh!