By the same token, it was this very same lack of early preparation for the Mafia life that made it more difficult for Michael to adjust to it from an emotional & temperamental standpoint, once the time came. Since he hadn't developed the crucial internal sense of balance & discipline that a mob leader needs in order to know when to cut some slack and when to bring the hammer down, Michael increasingly found himself overcompensating in an effort to get his internal bearings - with each new act of ruthlessness requiring even more ruthlessness later, in order to maintain the sense of consistency & order that Michael needed to feel that the family had been protected and was safe.
Don't forget that Michael was also a USMC combat vet. As such, he would have seen death and destruction on a scale his LCN family back home would never have experienced. That coupled with Michael's innate shrewdness really made him, by far, a better choice to succeed Vito than Sonny.
A very fair point. Of Michael's battle-hardened toughness, I have no doubt. But I guess my point speaks mostly to Michael's ability to manifest "the Don's touch", for want of a better term.
Consider that Vito was a master of intrigue & nuance. He had an uncanny sixth sense about when trouble was afoot, its nature & source, and what to do about it - all brought about by many years of experience, plus a good bit of natural talent. Because of that, Vito knew when a light touch would accomplish more than a heavy hand, though he was perfectly willing to play rough when he thought it expedient.
I'm not convinced that Michael possessed that "Don's touch". If anything, his instincts seemed to tell him to play rough by default. And his combat experience would only reinforce that tendency.
It's perfectly understandable, after all. Michael was never groomed for LCN life, as Sonny & Tom were. He had a knack for it, for sure. But as I say, I think he had to compensate for his lack of specific training...and he generally overdid it.
