BP Suspends 'Top Kill' Again

BP has once again temporarily halted the "top kill" operation after efforts to stem the flow of oil failed. As happened yesterday about this time, the news comes not from BP but from a technician talking to the New York Times. The company reportedly shut down the well at 2:30am today after two so-called "junk shot" attempts. That didn't stop a spate of generally positive comments about progress throughout the morning.

“I won’t say progress was zero, but I don’t know if we can round up enough mud to make it work,” the technician tells the Times. “Everyone is disappointed at this time.” A company spokesman declined to get into "blow-by-blow commentaries" about progress. The development comes as President Obama visited the region and said alternative measures were in the works if "top kill" doesn't work. He called the spill "an assault on our shores" and promised residents that "you will not be abandoned."