I know that the common consensus is that President Reagan may have begun showing some symptoms of Alzheimer's disease by the end of his second term. While he wasn't officially diagnosed until 1994, some, including one of his sons, have mentioned spotting potential episodes as early as midway through his first term in office.
What would have been the public reaction if President Reagan was, as many suspect, suffering from Alzheimer's early on and suffered from a more than obvious episode during his second term in office.
For instance, he becomes confused and can't find his wording during the State of the Union, or God forbid, the Challenger disaster speech.
Would it tarnish his legacy as it stands today? would he be met with sympathy or possible anger (as some believe he has hidden the condition? Would the Administration own up to the reality? or would it explain the episode away as "exhaustion" or something similar?
This has been an idea I haven't seen explored very much, but based on recent publications from his son, I found it worthy of discussion