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With this news, I have recall where Jesus said "The rain falls on the just and unjust alike."

I admit to knowing very little about the day-to-day thought patterns and feelings of those with late-stage Alzheimer's, but I've always thought (and hoped) that in large part they just regress almost like moving backwards from age 10 to birth. Their memory fails, their feelings fail, and they just slowly slip into a sort of pseudoconsciousness where they're not just outwardly mentally incapacitated, but within themselves as well. In other words, that they no longer possess the mental faculties to know that their situation is abnormal or to be able to be upset about it, that in their own minds, almost everything is as it should be. I hope I'm right about this, especially in Reagan's case. (Of course, none of this changes the agony that his family is going through, especially Nancy.)

Also: At the same time we grieve over his condition, we should also remember that the President lived a far more exciting, vibrant life than most of us will, accomplished far more than most of us ever will, and also has lived longer than most of us ever will, even if you assume his life sort of ended in a way around 1995-96 or so. To live as he lived, to be able to do as much as he did to save this country - and the world - from a permanent "malaise" ... it almost seems worth the tradeoff of having to live your final years with Alzheimer's.

Almost.

just read your post and I agree totally. I totally believe Reagan has no idea of his illness at this time. To know he has suffered since 93 or so hurts me. He knew going in he was only going to get worse..his letter was so similar to Hestons letter last week.

Ronald Reagan is perhaps one of the 10 top men in the last 100 years. Frankly I consider him in the top 3 but that is me. The life he lived is just an incredible story. When we think of life and living well and above what our calling was, I think Reagan, now 91 years old.

Darn, my mom died at age 44 and my dad in law died at age 66!

How blessed his family is to have him still here and how blessed we as a country are to have had him as our leader.

Based on my observations of my father's rapid decline and death from Alzheimer's at the age of 69, I believe your description probably is pretty close to what's going on in Mr. Reagan's mind or consciousness. The article did not provide a very detailed description of his condition, but I would guess it is about what my father's was in his last 3 months. In the last six months of his life, he lost the ability to speak, eat, respond to stimuli - including family members speaking to him - swallow and hear. He even lost his gag reflex. He did not appear to suffer, however. This is what is ahead for Mr. Reagan, but I'm pretty sure all the pain will be felt by his wife and children, and not the man himself.