I don't know if the grief of the nation would have been more or less intense had it been a different president, but I think the assassination of any president at that time would have provoked intense shock and grief throughout the nation. I am sorry (in some measure) to say I don't think that is true any longer. Intense media and the technological ability to scrutinize being what it is these days, it is not possible to hide the very human clay feet of any world or national leader.

Which tends to leave those of us in parts of the world with access to information who are willing to think without public representations of archetypes and without heroes.