This is going to get ugly and the US was supporting the wrong leader. The difficulty here is that there are violent, religious extremists operating in Yemen but that is still no excuse for supporting a dictator.

The United States continues to press for a political transition in Yemen, with President Obama joining other leaders of G-8 countries Thursday in urging Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to give up power and avert rising violence.

But with Mr. Saleh digging in his heels – despite an earlier agreement to step down – and the Arabian Peninsula country careening toward what some fear could be civil war, the US is ordering nonessential personnel and all employees’ family members to leave. It is also urging US citizens in Yemen to depart while commercial transportation is still available.

In other words, the US government now foresees worsening conflict and instability in a country where Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has gained a foothold in recent years.