Assassination

Murder, in crime, according to The Turk in The Godfather is just business; it is nothing personal. Assassination in politics is almost never business. But it is rarely personal either. Politicians are never killed for any of the Deadly Sins. Of all the assassinations and attempted assassinations in the United States only Booth and possibly Oswald had a political basis. Among the rest, there is no real thread among the assassins except two: Mental illness and Anarchism--in fact the two are so prominent that one could think that one might be diagnostic of the other.
Lincoln: Booth. Certainly political.
McKinley: Leon Czolosz. An Anarchist and follower of Emma Goldberg.
Theodore Roosevelt: John Schrank. A psychotic New York saloon keeper who stalked Roosevelt all over the country because of a dream.
Franklin Roosevelt: Guiseppi Zangora. "Since my stomach hurt I want to make even a capitalist."
George Wallace: Arthur Bremmer. A fame seeker who also stalked Nixon.
Robert Kennedy: Sirhan Sirhan. A Christian Palestinian whose self avowed reason was anti-Zionism. But a stretch to be political as Kennedy had little responsibility there.
Jack Kennedy: Lee Oswald. A Marxist and member of Free Trade Cuba. Perhaps political.
Gerald Ford: Squeaky Fromme. Addled dingbat.
Ronald Reagan: Hinckley. A fame seeker who wanted to impress actress Jodi Foster.

The most recent assassination attempt, that of Congresswoman Gabrelle Giffords presumably by Jared Laughner, has yet to be elucidated. It is likely that a lot of pronouncements and declarations will be made and probably distant causes offered. If the history of assassinations holds true, however, it is unlike that the simple connections that work in common murders--drugs, revenge, jealousy, lust, business--will be applicable in this event either. And any attempt to do so should be seen as disingenuous and, more importantly, distracting. But the amorphous fringe is a poor target at best. It may be easier to hold responsible some innocent group that is closer at hand.

Assassins act symbolically. So will the outraged culture.