If you look at the two best Dons in the Trilogy I think they are Vito Corleone and Don Tomassino. This is because both men are very powerful but they never forget where they came from, and they have not only all the Sicilian cunning, and toughness, but they also create loyalty because they are loved as well as feared. When Vito is hit and when DonTomassino is assassinated, the people who work for them are genuinely despondent.
Its interesting that you bring up two Mustache Petes as the best dons. I think the idea that times had changed (when Mike was in control) plays into this.... its almost like comparing a modern ballplayer to Joe DiMaggio (
) .
SC - ahh, yes brilliant minds think alike. When I started reading this thread my first thought was a baseball analog. You can't compare people from different eras. The only common denominator is results. Did Michael achieve results? Yes.
Good Don, Bad Don - you have to define. One man's ceiling is another man's floor.
