The sad truth is that the consumers who buy low milage cars in the US are not the only ones to blame, because with the exception of the newest Japanese hybrids, carmakers both foreign and domestic do not sell in the US their most fuel efficient models. Sometimes out of business choice, sometimes out of US gov regulations.
For example, say you want to buy a small sedan that gives over 40mpg hwy. For 2007 in the US, no diesels are available except for a $50k Mercedes (thanks to EPA regulations), so you only have a handful of choices. For 2007 in Europe and japan, there are dozens of cars available with over 40 mpg. In Europe it's mostly diesels, but the point is that car buyers in the US do not have the same choices when it comes to fuel efficiency. GM's Opel and Ford sell outstanding diesels in Europe, but they don't sell them here...
Google the Ford Focus TDCi or the Opel Astra CDTI ECOTEC. Those have been available in Europe for a few years now with plenty of engine choices... and these are American carmakers...
