45 years on, JFK killing haunts Secret Service protecting Obama

US - Americans reflected Saturday on the presidency of John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated 45 years ago, as once again a young, inspiring president is headed to the White House.

President-elect Barack Obama has often been compared for his lofty ideals and charisma to the late JFK, who was shot dead in Dallas, Texas in 1963.

Obama’s cool speech delivery, his intellectual prowess, relative youth and inexperience — the 47-year-old was an Illinois state senator little over four years ago — have been seen by many as direct reflections of JFK.

Even the charming families, along with an apparent command of admiration around the world, are touchstones of both Obama and JFK’s broad appeal.

But Obama’s character and historic election as the first African-American US president have many people worried about potential threats to his life.

“He is inspirational, he is an historic figure, he is the first African-American president; but there is also — because of that potential for stirring up social unrest — that also makes him a target,” said Scott Stuart, senior terror and security analyst for Stratfor, a publisher of geopolitical intelligence.

The threats to Obama are nothing new in American politics. Four American presidents were assassinated: Abraham Lincoln in 1865, James Garfield in 1880, William McKinley in 1900, and JFK.

President Kennedy’s brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King were both gunned down in 1968.

Washington, Sunday, AFP