The only way to tell is to check out the perp's family and associates thoroughly. Hopefully that will be done objectively without any preordained conclusion.
I'm not impressed with Chertoff's general job performance at all, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that there are "standing orders" to classify every incident like this as a "hate crime" rather than terrorism. There are instances where it might be difficult to distinguish between the two. Let's just wait and see what develops here.
I hope this case does not get swept under the rug. Too many already have.