Personally, I think this was a repeat of the Butler plan (and the Reagan plan, and the Kennedy plan). IOW, a loon with a shitty gun serves as a distraction while the real wetwork goes on.

Think about it: Suppose the Secret Service had actual integrity and competence and trained for any possible kind of shooter. They're finely tuned to react instantly if a shooter is detected. How much of that training involves a phony shooter and a real shooter? I would doubt they've ever trained for that.

In this case, I doubt Routh was ever meant to hit anything. He never fired any shots, and that makes me wonder if he even actually had any ammunition. I'm certain, however, that he was meant to die after the deed was done so that we would "all know what happened".