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Originally Posted by Mansun
Saruman's record beyond this point goes downhill alarmingly. It is wiser to consider his case through his entire life in the history of Middle Earth up until his death.
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Well as far as DEATH goes... there's a whole host of dead people we're not voting for anymore... Abe Lincoln... Winston Churchill... Charles de Gaulle.
I'm taking Saruman in context, when he was "on the ballot", basically.
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Originally Posted by Mansun
I could list quite a few achievements that support Gandalf the White:-
- Advising the masterplan that the Ring be sent to Mordor to be destroyed by a
Hobbit;
- Leading Rohan to victory over Isengard at Helm's Deep;
- Casting down the traitor Saruman from the Order of the Istari;
- Preventing the Witch King from entering Minas Tirith;
- Outwitting Sauron by challenging Mordor at the Black Gate, allowing Frodo time
and space to complete his quest;
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The thing is though... most of those are not the actions of mandated ruler, but rather the actions of a capable advisor and/or organiser, and while those people are invaluable to the smooth operation of a country, they are not Presidents/Kings/etc.
And as far as casting Saruman from the order goes... they had orders from Head Office. Manwë fired Saruman and Gandalf got his job. Or, if you take it as "fight of the fittest" then it's more a case of Gandalf being stronger--not a better leader.
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In short, Gandalf has the best record for policy making and governing in Middle Earth, although Sauron of course ran him close in almost all matters.
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Except that, as my point is, Gandalf never actually governed. The only office of authority he ever holds is "the White Wizard" and by this point the order consists of him and a delinquent Radagast...
Now, don't get me wrong... I think Gandalf is, when pressed into it, an excellent leader, but as far his actual examples of leadership go, they are very much limited to advisory capacities or else to ad hoc inspiring.
Gandalf is more of a general than a president.
Or a bureaucrat.
I think he'd probably make an awesome civil servant.
But a President? (Or other comparable office-holder)
No.