diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/resource/builder.go b/pkg/kubectl/resource/builder.go
index 0a40e7b21ba..8853be8a9f5 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/resource/builder.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/resource/builder.go
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ import (
 var FileExtensions = []string{".json", ".yaml", ".yml"}
 var InputExtensions = append(FileExtensions, "stdin")
 
+const defaultHttpGetAttempts int = 3
+
 // Builder provides convenience functions for taking arguments and parameters
 // from the command line and converting them to a list of resources to iterate
 // over using the Visitor interface.
@@ -109,7 +111,7 @@ func (b *Builder) FilenameParam(enforceNamespace, recursive bool, paths ...strin
 				b.errs = append(b.errs, fmt.Errorf("the URL passed to filename %q is not valid: %v", s, err))
 				continue
 			}
-			b.URL(url)
+			b.URL(defaultHttpGetAttempts, url)
 		default:
 			b.Path(recursive, s)
 		}
@@ -123,11 +125,12 @@ func (b *Builder) FilenameParam(enforceNamespace, recursive bool, paths ...strin
 }
 
 // URL accepts a number of URLs directly.
-func (b *Builder) URL(urls ...*url.URL) *Builder {
+func (b *Builder) URL(httpAttemptCount int, urls ...*url.URL) *Builder {
 	for _, u := range urls {
 		b.paths = append(b.paths, &URLVisitor{
-			URL:           u,
-			StreamVisitor: NewStreamVisitor(nil, b.mapper, u.String(), b.schema),
+			URL:              u,
+			StreamVisitor:    NewStreamVisitor(nil, b.mapper, u.String(), b.schema),
+			HttpAttemptCount: httpAttemptCount,
 		})
 	}
 	return b
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/resource/visitor.go b/pkg/kubectl/resource/visitor.go
index be138b210e6..288bfa85aca 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/resource/visitor.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/resource/visitor.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"net/url"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"time"
 
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api/meta"
 	"k8s.io/kubernetes/pkg/api/unversioned"
@@ -221,22 +222,69 @@ func ValidateSchema(data []byte, schema validation.Schema) error {
 type URLVisitor struct {
 	URL *url.URL
 	*StreamVisitor
+	HttpAttemptCount int
 }
 
 func (v *URLVisitor) Visit(fn VisitorFunc) error {
-	res, err := http.Get(v.URL.String())
+	body, err := readHttpWithRetries(httpgetImpl, time.Second, v.URL.String(), v.HttpAttemptCount)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	defer res.Body.Close()
-	if res.StatusCode != 200 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("unable to read URL %q, server reported %d %s", v.URL, res.StatusCode, res.Status)
-	}
-
-	v.StreamVisitor.Reader = res.Body
+	defer body.Close()
+	v.StreamVisitor.Reader = body
 	return v.StreamVisitor.Visit(fn)
 }
 
+// readHttpWithRetries tries to http.Get the v.URL retries times before giving up.
+func readHttpWithRetries(get httpget, duration time.Duration, u string, attempts int) (io.ReadCloser, error) {
+	var err error
+	var body io.ReadCloser
+	if attempts <= 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("http attempts must be greater than 0, was %d", attempts)
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < attempts; i++ {
+		var statusCode int
+		var status string
+		if i > 0 {
+			time.Sleep(duration)
+		}
+
+		// Try to get the URL
+		statusCode, status, body, err = get(u)
+
+		// Retry Errors
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// Error - Set the error condition from the StatusCode
+		if statusCode != 200 {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("unable to read URL %q, server reported %d %s", u, statusCode, status)
+		}
+
+		if statusCode >= 500 && statusCode < 600 {
+			// Retry 500's
+			continue
+		} else {
+			// Don't retry other StatusCodes
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	return body, err
+}
+
+// httpget Defines function to retrieve a url and return the results.  Exists for unit test stubbing.
+type httpget func(url string) (int, string, io.ReadCloser, error)
+
+// httpgetImpl Implements a function to retrieve a url and return the results.
+func httpgetImpl(url string) (int, string, io.ReadCloser, error) {
+	resp, err := http.Get(url)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, "", nil, err
+	}
+	return resp.StatusCode, resp.Status, resp.Body, nil
+}
+
 // DecoratedVisitor will invoke the decorators in order prior to invoking the visitor function
 // passed to Visit. An error will terminate the visit.
 type DecoratedVisitor struct {
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/resource/visitor_test.go b/pkg/kubectl/resource/visitor_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e781c90c249
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/resource/visitor_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2016 The Kubernetes Authors All rights reserved.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package resource
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestVisitorHttpGet(t *testing.T) {
+	// Test retries on errors
+	i := 0
+	expectedErr := fmt.Errorf("Failed to get http")
+	actualBytes, actualErr := readHttpWithRetries(func(url string) (int, string, io.ReadCloser, error) {
+		assert.Equal(t, "hello", url)
+		i++
+		if i > 2 {
+			return 0, "", nil, expectedErr
+		}
+		return 0, "", nil, fmt.Errorf("Unexpected error")
+	}, 0, "hello", 3)
+	assert.Equal(t, expectedErr, actualErr)
+	assert.Nil(t, actualBytes)
+	assert.Equal(t, 3, i)
+
+	// Test that 500s are retried.
+	i = 0
+	actualBytes, actualErr = readHttpWithRetries(func(url string) (int, string, io.ReadCloser, error) {
+		assert.Equal(t, "hello", url)
+		i++
+		return 501, "Status", nil, nil
+	}, 0, "hello", 3)
+	assert.Error(t, actualErr)
+	assert.Nil(t, actualBytes)
+	assert.Equal(t, 3, i)
+
+	// Test that 300s are not retried
+	i = 0
+	actualBytes, actualErr = readHttpWithRetries(func(url string) (int, string, io.ReadCloser, error) {
+		assert.Equal(t, "hello", url)
+		i++
+		return 300, "Status", nil, nil
+	}, 0, "hello", 3)
+	assert.Error(t, actualErr)
+	assert.Nil(t, actualBytes)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, i)
+
+	// Test attempt count is respected
+	i = 0
+	actualBytes, actualErr = readHttpWithRetries(func(url string) (int, string, io.ReadCloser, error) {
+		assert.Equal(t, "hello", url)
+		i++
+		return 501, "Status", nil, nil
+	}, 0, "hello", 1)
+	assert.Error(t, actualErr)
+	assert.Nil(t, actualBytes)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, i)
+
+	// Test attempts less than 1 results in an error
+	i = 0
+	b := bytes.Buffer{}
+	actualBytes, actualErr = readHttpWithRetries(func(url string) (int, string, io.ReadCloser, error) {
+		return 200, "Status", ioutil.NopCloser(&b), nil
+	}, 0, "hello", 0)
+	assert.Error(t, actualErr)
+	assert.Nil(t, actualBytes)
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, i)
+
+	// Test Success
+	i = 0
+	b = bytes.Buffer{}
+	actualBytes, actualErr = readHttpWithRetries(func(url string) (int, string, io.ReadCloser, error) {
+		assert.Equal(t, "hello", url)
+		i++
+		if i > 1 {
+			return 200, "Status", ioutil.NopCloser(&b), nil
+		}
+		return 501, "Status", nil, nil
+	}, 0, "hello", 3)
+	assert.Nil(t, actualErr)
+	assert.NotNil(t, actualBytes)
+	assert.Equal(t, 2, i)
+}