Neo,
Yes I agree that is the reason for the Secret Service Protection. My contention is that the number of actual deaths is so low as to mitigate it as a real threat or occupational hazard.
Another reason that your average policeman slain in the line of duty, although tragic, is not a martyr is that they most likely have not been in a position to have a great enough impact on a particular cuase ot be considered a martyr.
JFK, weather you liked or hated him, was undeniably a lightening rod for many strong feelings in this country. As such, his impact, positively or negatively, was magnified many times.
IMO, he ushered in a very important era in American politics and culture. His leagcy and the effects his death have had on this country are immense.
Camelot was more than a media catch phrase. Weather it was deserved or even real is immaterial. Most of America thought it was real, and labored under that pretense. It was a feeling of a new and special moment in American History .
Camelot is defined as a "place or time of idealized beauty, peacefulness, and enlightenment". That was the feeling that many americans associated with RFK. It doesn't matter if you think that feeling was appropriate. The feeling was there, and it was palpable to many at the time.
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