BP Tries, Tries Again...and Again We Wait

After cutting the pipe at the wellhead (with 20-foot shears), officials have placed a cap over the well to funnel oil to a ship at the surface. But, as usual, "it will be some time before we can confirm that this method will work and to what extent it will mitigate the release of oil into the environment," says Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen. NPR has video of the leak.

If the latest attempt fails, the best chance to stop the leak is probably a relief well, which is at least two months away. And government scientists are predicting the spill could hit the Atlantic Coast in weeks.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal gives BP CEO Tony Hayward an op-ed while the New York Times says he's just another problem BP has to deal with. And President Obama canceled his trip to Australia, Indonesia, and Guam last night and will return to the Gulf on Friday.

In case anyone still doubted this was enormously bad, there are some really, really sad photos of seabirds covered in oil here.