[Daveinyork]

He was indeed indispensible. A man of lesser character would have used the army to take over when his officers urged him to do so. A man of lesser character would have made himself president for life, or king, instead of stepping down after two terms, setting a precedent. We might have become a banana republic without him, assuming that we could have even won the war without him.

[luvbach1]

A man of lesser character would have made himself president for life, or king [someone else comes to mind], instead of stepping down after two terms, setting a precedent. We might have become a banana republic without him [before now. which is what we're now becoming], assuming that we could have even won the war without him.