We could know sometime today whether the newest effort to plug the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico will work. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, because the reality of it all is becoming grim. As I understand the details, it is at least a good sign that the wellhead device hasn’t fallen apart under the stress of the unique work being performed there. One of the more reasonable comments I gleaned from a lot of rambling interviews on television yesterday was from an engineer who said, in effect, it might take a couple of days to know if this will work, but it could become apparent in minutes if something goes badly wrong. So far, so good. And I’m trying very hard to avoid the term “top kill.”