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"You keep trying to convince me that Gerald Ford was senile...."

No..I keep asking you questions you will not answer. Would you vote for a 90 year old for POTUS and put national security in the hands of a person with probable memory loss , difficulty with problem solving and possible beginning stages of dementia?

The probable answer, of course not.

To say that Ford's opinion of the WOT and Iraq, good or bad, in the twilight of his years, is the ultimate answer to the calling of this young generation is at least as absurd as any question I have asked you.

So if you can't answer honestly, don't expect to convince me that you have a handle on the normal affects of aging on the cognition of the extreme elderly.

Now, can we get on with mourning his death without exploiting him further for political purposes and TV ratings? Thank you.

Would you vote for a 90 year old for POTUS and put national security in the hands of a person with probable memory loss , difficulty with problem solving and possible beginning stages of dementia?

Whether I would vote for a 90 year old or not is a much different question. Probably not given the pressure of the office and the likelihood of failing health, possibly including dementia at some point. The office is know for a lot of pressure that could trigger health problems. Reagan himself probably had the beginnings of Alzheimers toward the end of his term.

But that has absolutely nothing to do with the value I'd place on hearing the opinion of someone so knowledgeable and experienced, whether I agreed with it or not. We'd lose a lot a valuable experience if we stopped listening to our elder citizens.

It doesn't sound like you're planning on being very coherent in your 90's. Are you planning on having people put you in the corner like a potted plant to wait for death to lift the burden?

To say that Ford's opinion of the WOT and Iraq, good or bad, in the twilight of his years, is the ultimate answer to the calling of this young generation is at least as absurd as any question I have asked you.

You're the one trying to make his opinion the "ultimate answer to the calling of this young generation". Where did you get that? It's one opinion among many. It deserves a little more respect than most because he's been in the office and has a unique point of view.

So if you can't answer honestly, don't expect to convince me that you have a handle on the normal affects of aging on the cognition of the extreme elderly.

I'm not in the habit of writing off all of the opinions of the elderly. Some 90 year olds are sharp as a tack, and some 20 year olds come close to dementia. I usually listen and then give it the weight I think it deserves. That dog just won't hunt.

The big problem I have is if anyone of stature says anything that doesn't fit with conservative conventional wisdom he is immediately written off with pages of highly insightful one line posts saying the person is a moron for one reason or another. It doesn't matter what their past credentials are.

Writing off Gerald Ford's opinion because you say he probably has dementia at his age is lame. Writing it off because he choose to have Woodward on the other end of the recorder is lame. Writing it off because it was reported in the MSM is lame. Disagreeing with it based on some reasoning is what adults do.

Now, can we get on with mourning his death without exploiting him further for political purposes and TV ratings? Thank you.

Now we can get on with honoring his life? His words are an important part of his legacy. Your welcome.