Of all Michael's rationalizations, this one takes the cake. The Mafia (here in America) would never have gone after his wife or children. It's a tremendous (deliberate?) irony that Mary was ultimately killed my Michael's enemies (by accident).
Good post, Oli.
They might not have gone after them "deliberately," but Roth and the assassins had no qualms about trying to kill Michael in a way (firing into his home) that could easily have killed Kay and the children. As it was, Kay (along with Michael) was almost killed. This incident clearly indicated that whoever was after Michael would stop at nothing to get him, and if his family went down with him, so be it. So I don't think Michael was merely "rationalizing" when he told Kay in Part III that she and the kids had been in danger.
