Photo of the Day: Farewell Kiss or Welcome Back Smooch?

A Gaddafi supporter smooches a photo of despot Muammar Gaddafi as international armed forces deploy to Libya.

On Thursday, after weeks of watching Gaddafi overwhelm ill-equipped rebel forces with a barrage of air assaults, the United Nations voted to implement a no-fly zone over Libya.

On paper, the resolution authorizes military action to protect civilians ahead of Gaddafi's promise to "show no mercy" on Benghazi, a rebel stronghold located on the country's northeast coast. The resolution does not call for Gaddafi's ouster. 

Installing a no-fly zone looks a lot like actual war. U.S. amphibious ships were on the move to Libya hours after the U.N. vote. British and French warplanes were set to fly sorties from Italy.

Even while reading between the resolution's lines, it's unclear if the U.N.'s aerial strong-arming is a last-ditch effort to oust Gaddafi, or only a means to prevent the autocratic and capricious leader from turning entire sections of Libya into an above-ground cemetary.