[Update, 10:30 p.m.: House leadership just announced there will be no vote tonight.]
Tick ... tick ... tick ... tick ...
It's 9:30 p.m., about four hours after House Republican leaders reportedly planned to hold a vote on Speaker John Boehner's debt ceiling plan. And the vote hasn't taken place yet.
Republican sources are telling reporters Boehner still wants to pass the bill tonight and, a little while ago, a large stack of pizzas was seen being delivered to the Speaker's office. If I had to bet, I'd say he'll get the supporters he needs. [Update: Obviously, I'd have lost that bet.]
But I'm not sure about that. Time's Jay Newton-Small has confirmed a rumor that's been circulating for the last hour or so: Somebody in leadership has asked the Rules Committee to stand by. Boenher might have to return the bill to the committee for more tweaking, in order to get the votes he need.
I'm no expert on congressional procedure, but I'm pretty sure that would means no vote until Friday, at the earliest. And that would be just fine. I mean, it's not like we're racing against the clock to avoid a full-blown financial crisis.
Here's hoping Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell doesn't hold up negotiations and proceeding in that chamber just because the House hasn't gotten its act together.
By the way, I'm not on Capitol Hill, so my information is mostly second-hand via e-mail from congressional staffers and published accounts. If you want to keep up in real time, you can follow my twitter feed at @CitizenCohn. (Or you can just glance at it in the box just above and to the right of this blog.)