Randi was saying something yesterday

[King Coal]

about Reagan not being impeached/indicted for Iran/Contra because he was already well into the disease which killed him when the time came. Do any of you kids know anything about this story?

[ewagner]

1. A lot of speculation

I remember seeing articles a couple of years back that suggested that Reagan showed signs of Alzheimer's before he left office.

Aside from that, his response to many questions, concerning Iran/Contra were simply, "I don't remember." He may have been speaking the truth.

[buddhamama]

2. from accounts that i have read

she is mistaken.

i heard Reagan's biographer (don't remember the man's name)
on NPR the other mornin' and stated the disease did not make itself known till Reagan was out of office.

Helen Caldicott stated the same on DemocracyNow the other day too.
She was in contact with Reagan frequently during the last yrs of his presidency. She's a doc so, her opinion is an educated one.

[HootieMcBoob]

3. He wasn't diagnosed until after but

I remember her interview with Oliver North and he admitted that Reagan was to far gone to give real testimony and I'm pretty sure Lawrence Walsh has said the same thing before.

[buddhamama]

4. it's cover

what would you expect them to say?

and you're gonna trust the word of North?

i cited two people who had no reason to 'lie' about Ron's condition.

[GR]

5. Heard From Someone In The Government At The Time That He Was Gone...

long before he left office....

[skypilot]

9. I remember an article...

...where a Secret Service agent, under Reagan, was interviewed and he said
that if you threw an acorn onto to White House lawn and told Reagan to go pick it up and turn around three times he'd do it. This was a description of Reagan from when he was still in the White House.

[rooboy]

6. Thom Hartmann (the radio host) knows someone...

who apparently deposed Reagan during the Iran/Contra hearings. Thom actually had dinner with the lady in question (I think she was a court reporter) either that night or soon after. According to her, Thom said that there was "nobody there", and when Reagan said "I don't remember" more than 130 times, he meant it. He apparently couldn't recall the most basic facts, including the names of some of his staff.

Thom H said he & his friend believed that Bush Sr actually ran the country for the last few years of Reagan's presidency.

[King Coal]

7. Thanks for all responses. That's why I like it here.

[gasperc]

8. bartcom listed an item that it was empircally diagnosed in 1984

some doctors concerned about his behavior and actions came to the conclusion, after carefully observing him, that he may be suffering from alzhiemer's

you'll need to google for a link, I'm sure something could be found in the NYT archives.