Again, for the record: pro drilling, and this engineering problem is a bitch to solve. Other thoughts:

• Some of the people I’ve heard complain loudest about the government response are the very same people who decry government intervention into the free market. My response is simple: either the market will take care of the problem, or you need government to intervene in markets. You can’t have this both ways.
• As someone who does believe that the government has a place in the markets, especially in a regulatory role, I’m disappointed in the response. I believe that BP should be given every opportunity to fix the problem, but at some point, what makes the most sense is bringing in all the oil-drilling/oil-company experts from the US, whether they be BP, Exxon Mobil, or what. This is a problem that directly affects BP but indirectly affects the entire domestic oil extraction marketplace. It doesn’t matter whose screw-up this is: let’s get the damn thing fixed, and now. If there are smart folks at EM or other oil companies, by all means, lets get their brains fixing this problem yesterday.
• I’m really praying that the top kill works. Seriously, praying.
• I love listening to Barack Obama speak, but while he has a role in reassurance, this is a time for actions, not words. Bush made a speech about rebuilding New Orleans, as did any number of state and local folks in Louisiana … look how well that‘s gone. Politicians of all stripes are great at speeches, and marginal at execution. That said, corporations typically suck at execution, too. Trust me, I’m a corporate drone.

Soapbox over for the day.