"They know an attack is imminent, they are covering their behinds."
I am not sure sure about this comment, many of these people are older and have served for 20-30 years in the government. People do retire and wish to enjoy their last few remaining years alive in relative peace. To me, the enemy can pick and choose their targets and most likely could have used a dirty bomb or some other method to hurt us badly. Their are so many soft targets because we are a free country you can't possibly protect them all. That being said, it really is impossible to know exactly when the enemy will strike.