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They sent Michelle Kwan to the 2006 Olympics, too.
The whole thing actually makes sense, even if I think it's totally unfair.
Tanith and Ben have consistently been the best American ice dancers for 5 years. Their results in the GP this year were good. They were in front of Meryl and Charlie before they withdrew at GPF. And even if they won't place better then Meryl and Charlie at Worlds they are still certainly ahead of the rest of the field, by a lot.
I think that Keauna and Rockne would have had a better chance at being sent to Worlds, had they withdrawn, than Johnny would have... They are obviously the best American pair and I doubt the federation expects Rena and John would place better than them. And they want to send as many pairs as possible to the Olympics...
In men, however, I think the federation assumes Jeremy and Evan would place well enough to guarantee three spots for the US men at the Olympics. They probably also hope Brandon will place well. But if Evan and Jeremy are good enough, this doesn't really matter, does it? And it's clearly the rule to send the best three at Nationals. Why break the rules in this situation? I get it. I don't agree it's fair to have such rules. It's in the best interest of any federation to send its most hopeful skaters to the international competitions. But then again, would Nationals be the figure skating event of the year, if they did? They want their best skaters in it for the TV rankings and spectators and so on... Who would care to watch Nationals if much less was at stakes?
And now Johnny is a victim of this system, a system that he actually voiced his approval of some time ago and even at this Nationals. This is one of the few things I don't agree with him about. But sometimes you have to experience something yourself in order to see that you've been wrong about it all along. Poor, poor Johnny! The saddest thing is that even looking at this situation as a lesson doesn't quite make it feel any better. That's just a lesson that doesn't really matter, at least as far as Johnny's skating is concerned.
I am definitely not trying to say that I know how US figure skating should function better than the appointed officials. There may be countless reasons for it to be this way that I cannot even think of. What I am saying is that from a rational outsider point of view, the current system doesn't seem to be fair!

My Personal Stuff: As to Worlds, I still can't believe Johnny probably won't be there. After Stephane and Buttle quit and Daisuke announced he was not goign to compete this season, Johnny was the only one of the single men I adore left. I love ice dancing. And I want to see all the skating. Just now the special treat of a favorite skater in the competition is gone. And Johnny's presence would certainly make up for the absence of all the rest, while anyone of them would not quite make up for Johnny's absence. And when you have the chance to see only one competition in the near years and you choose the wrong one, it hurts so much... Sorry for wasting your time with my personal story. I just needed to share it with someone who can understand.