Donuel, not sure why the question arose, but your assertion that 10% of US presidents have either been assassinated or "narrowly escaped" assassination--I dont know how one statistically defines the latter--is exceedingly conservative. Almost 10% of US presidents have been assassinated, period--4 of 43 men who have held the office. Wikipedia, fwiw, identifies "over 20" known assassination attempts or serious plots. This includes five against Obama, four against Clinton, the shooting of Reagan of course, and the hapless Ford's being shot at twice in a single month. Every president since Hoover is listed as the object of at least one assassination plot except for LBJ--personal (un)popularity doesnt seem to be a factor, oddly enough. Then of course the shooting of presidential candidates Robert Kennedy and George Wallace--I apologize for lumping them together--are part of contemporary electoral history as well. It is beyond reprehensible for anyone with influence to kinda, sorta, kid around that maybe someone oughtta shoot their political opponent, let alone suggest it without qualifiers then deny meaning what they said.
|