State Department

For those paying attention, the current crisis in the Middle East is once again showing the true face of conservative government in all its ineptitude and squalor. The dazzling performance standards we all came to know and love during hurricane Katrina are on full, lavish display on the Levant.

First, the delayed reaction time. As MSNBC reported on Saturday, Americans in Lebanon, including students at Beirut's American University, were caught completely unprepared by the outbreak of hostilities. The reaction of the Department of State was to say, almost in as many words, that the 25,000 Americans in Lebanon were on their own.

"There aren't any ... reliable ways to get out by air, land or sea," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday. U.S. citizens are being told to "assess what is best for their own personal security."

Savor that for a second. You're trapped in a war zone, and the government says you're on your own. Does this principle sound at all familiar?

But as always, it gets better.

If the government is so tight fisted, why not have Haliburton pay for these people's displacement? They after all have been the #1 plunderers of this war.

[via Lebanon Situation Update - July 15, 2006 - US Embassy Beirut Lebanon]:

Frontpage Headline
Lebanon Situation Update - July 15, 2006
July 15, 2006

This information is current as of today, Sat Jul 15 12:20:12 2006.

A message to the American citizens in Lebanon:

The Department of State continues to work with the Department of Defense on a plan to help American citizens depart Lebanon. As of the morning of July 15, we are looking at how we might transport Americans to Cyprus. Once in Cyprus, Americans can then board commercial aircraft for onward travel. Commercial airlines provide the safest and most efficient repatriation options to final destinations.

The Department of State reminds American citizens that the U.S. government does not provide no-cost transportation but does have the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need. For the portion of your trip directly handled by the U.S. Government we will ask you to sign a promissory note and we will bill you at a later date. In a subsequent message, when we have specific details about the transporation arrangments, we will inform you about the costs you will incur. We will also work with commercial aircraft to ensure that they have adequate flights to help you depart Cyprus and connect to your final destination.

The Department of State continues to work around the clock and will continue to send updates as appropriate.