Reagan takes turn for worse
2004-06-05 18:57
Washington - Former US president Ronald Reagan, ailing from a long bout with Alzheimer's disease, has been experiencing deteriorating health over the past week, US media reported on Saturday.
The former president and movie star announced to the nation in November 1994 that he was suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative brain disorder that leads to mental disorientation and physical decline.
He has led a quiet existence at home ever since.
Reagan, 93, who served in the White House from 1981 to 1989, is the longest-surviving US president. He was the oldest US president ever elected and the oldest to serve in office, leaving his second term just days ahead of his 80th birthday.
One of Reagan's biggest legacies as the 40th president of the United States was his homespun economic policy, aimed at curbing the growth of the federal government.
Reagan also directed an unprecedented peacetime arms build-up that, despite his intentions, led to a mushrooming of the federal deficit.
His reputation for toughness was exhibited in his foreign policy - leading a campaign against what he called the "evil empire" of the Soviet Union - but it was also strengthened by his survival of a 1981 assassination attempt.
He also made history with his eventual rapprochement with Moscow and his unusual personal friendship with then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
- AFP