Whether terrorism or natural disaster, those of us who *have* traveled outside the US and who *do* carry passports understand that we accept the risk of travel, whether on business for for pleasure. I have a little more expectation of assistance as a military dependent or from my company than I would as a private citizen tourist. But because the US is a target of terrorists, I might expect to hunker down a bit longer to be sure it is safe for a large number of us to be moved. It's smarter and safer for us to move a few at a time.
You do realize, that if you are living on the economy, numbers of Americans living in a certain neighborhood or apartment complex are limited so as not to make that area a target of terrorists? Of course there are some places where it's not safe to live on the economy and then everyone lives together with high security measures.
I think the big problem is the Katrina-esque response of the media and some who are in Lebanon right now. People are all too willing to jump all over the government and play the blame game. The logistics are dicey--this is a war zone. You can't just prance through the hail of missiles and make everyone safe. I don't disagree that the bureacracy has become gigantic and bloated, but whose fault is that? Ours. We're their employers!!!
You make valid points.