The Politics of the Murder of Sean Taylor

Extreme Mortman worries that the shooting death of football player Sean Taylor might end up being politicized:

We'll watch closely to see if conversation about the tragic murder of Redskin Sean Taylor enters the political arena over the next few days.

Along with the immense sorrow we feel for Taylor and his family, we remember the equally devastating (if self-inflicted) cocaine death of Maryland Terrapins basketball superstar Len Bias in 1986.  That horrible incident led Congress to pass drug war legislation.

Mortman recaps the insane legislation that came out of Bias' death here.

Given the unclear circumstances surrounding Taylor's death–he was shot while defending his house during a home-invasion robbery, but not much more is known than that–I think it's unlikely that we'll see anything like a Len Bias response. But if other information comes out, who knows? One thing's for sure: You can never underestimate politicians' ability to exploit private tragedy for public gain.