Index: wp-includes/class-http.php
===================================================================
--- wp-includes/class-http.php	(revision 17900)
+++ wp-includes/class-http.php	(working copy)
@@ -27,10 +27,6 @@
  *
  * Debugging includes several actions, which pass different variables for debugging the HTTP API.
  *
- * <strong>http_transport_get_debug</strong> - gives working, nonblocking, and blocking transports.
- *
- * <strong>http_transport_post_debug</strong> - gives working, nonblocking, and blocking transports.
- *
  * @package WordPress
  * @subpackage HTTP
  * @since 2.7.0
@@ -196,6 +192,34 @@
 	}
 
 	/**
+	 * Tests which transports are capabable of supporting the request.
+	 * 
+	 * @since 3.2.0
+	 * @access private
+	 *
+	 * @param array $args Request arguments
+	 * @param string $url URL to Request
+	 *
+	 * @return string|false Class name for the first transport that claims to support the request.  False if no transport claims to support the request.
+	 */
+	public function _get_first_available_transport( $args, $url = null ) {
+		$request_order = array( 'curl', 'streams', 'fsockopen' );
+
+		// Loop over each transport on each HTTP request looking for one which will serve this request's needs
+		foreach ( $request_order as $transport ) {
+			$class = 'WP_HTTP_' . $transport;
+
+			// Check to see if this transport is a possibility, calls the transport statically
+			if ( !call_user_func( array( $class, 'test' ), $args, $url ) )
+				continue;
+
+			return $class;
+		}
+
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	/**
 	 * Dispatches a HTTP request to a supporting transport.
 	 *
 	 * Tests each transport in order to find a transport which matches the request arguements.
@@ -216,34 +240,25 @@
 	 * @param array $args Request arguments
 	 * @return array|object Array containing 'headers', 'body', 'response', 'cookies'. A WP_Error instance upon error
 	 */
-	private function _dispatch_request($url, $args) {
+	private function _dispatch_request( $url, $args ) {
 		static $transports = array();
 
-		$request_order = array('curl', 'streams', 'fsockopen');
+		$class = $this->_get_first_available_transport( $args, $url );
+		if ( !$class )
+			return new WP_Error( 'http_failure', __( 'There are no HTTP transports available which can complete the requested request.' ) );
 
-		// Loop over each transport on each HTTP request looking for one which will serve this requests needs
-		foreach ( $request_order as $transport ) {
-			$class = 'WP_HTTP_' . $transport;
+		// Transport claims to support request, Instantate it and give it a whirl.
+		if ( empty( $transports[$class] ) )
+			$transports[$class] = new $class;
 
-			// Check to see if this transport is a possibility, calls the transport statically
-			if ( ! call_user_func( array($class, 'test'), $args, $url) )
-				continue;
+		$response = $transports[$class]->request( $url, $args );
 
-			// Transport claims to support request, Instantate it and give it a whirl.
-			if ( empty( $transports[ $transport ] ) )
-				$transports[ $transport ] = new $class;
+		do_action( 'http_api_debug', $response, 'response', $class );
 
-			$response = $transports[ $transport ]->request( $url, $args );
+		if ( is_wp_error( $response ) )
+			return $response;
 
-			do_action( 'http_api_debug', $response, 'response', $class );
-
-			if ( is_wp_error( $response ) )
-				return $response;
-
-			return apply_filters( 'http_response', $response, $args, $url );
-		}
-
-		return new WP_Error('http_failure', __('There are no HTTP transports available which can complete the requested request.') );
+		return apply_filters( 'http_response', $response, $args, $url );
 	}
 
 	/**
Index: wp-includes/http.php
===================================================================
--- wp-includes/http.php	(revision 17900)
+++ wp-includes/http.php	(working copy)
@@ -191,4 +191,34 @@
 	return $response['body'];
 }
 
-?>
\ No newline at end of file
+/**
+ * Determins if ther is an HTTP Transport that can process this request.
+ *
+ * @since 3.2.0
+ *
+ * @param array  $capabilities Array of capabilities to test or a wp_remote_request() $args array.
+ * @param string $url Optional.  If given, will check if the URL requires SSL and adds that requirement to the capabilities array.
+ *
+ * @return bool
+ */
+function wp_http_supports( $capabilities = array(), $url = null ) {
+	$objFetchSite = _wp_http_get_object();
+
+	$capabilities = wp_parse_args( $capabilities );
+
+	$count = count( $capabilities );
+
+	// If we have a numeric $capabilities array, spoof a wp_remote_request() associative $args array
+	if ( $count && count( array_filter( array_keys( $capabilities ), 'is_numeric' ) ) == $count ) {
+		$capabilities = array_combine( array_values( $capabilities ), array_fill( 0, $count, true ) );
+	}
+
+	if ( $url && !isset( $capabilities['ssl'] ) ) {
+		$scheme = parse_url( $url, PHP_URL_SCHEME );
+		if ( 'https' == $scheme || 'ssl' == $scheme ) {
+			$capabilities['ssl'] = true;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return (bool) $objFetchSite->_get_first_available_transport( $capabilities );
+}