H1B restamping - pending admin process@Kolkata Consulate

[Quizzical]

I have been living in the US for 7 years. Came to Kolkata consulate for H1 stamping on Dec 20 2011 - joined new company in Oct 2011. Consular officer said application looked "good" but needed to complete admin processing before stamping the visa. Was to take 2 - 4 weeks. Was given a green form with ref to 221 (g) - no additional documents were requested.

Its now the 7th week and am still waiting. Need to get back for school admissions, home and of course, work!

No one is giving clear timelines for completion of the processing at this time - have been following up with VFS, US consulate, DOS and my company's government liaison.

My queries if anyone could provide insight:

1. Does the color od the form matter i.e. green in my case?

2. We understand that the application is pending security clearances. Any experience with timelines on this?

3. Given this situation, can my wife (who is waiting for dependent H4) apply for a B1/B2 visa and travel to the US with our children who are US citizens? Is there any stipulation that disallows this?

Any responses would be most appreciated! Thanks