>Didn't RR's second term already give us a preview of how he would have governed dead? His Alzheimer's was well underway, and he was never exactly a details man to begin with. His grasp of complex issues was shaky even according to close aides.
>

Sure, and it was a pretty good second term!

>Now before you jump up and down on me and try out your latest weaponry, I am not a Ronald Reagan hater. Personally he was a very likeable guy. Even people who couldn't stand his politics (like me) liked him as a person. And I give him credit for having an impact. He set out a clear agenda of American jauntiness and assertion which was a tonic to many Americans in the aftermath of Vietnam and the "malaise" of the Carter years. To a great extent his vision has shaped American politics and international relationships for the past quarter century, and for that he must be credited. Most politicians, even Presidents, make little if any difference. The other recent President who comes immediately to mind is FDR. Whether you liked them or not -- and they both inspired fierce passions on both sides -- they left their mark. So I give him credit for that.

Well said! They did make a difference!