On the website Slate.msn there was a discussion on whether or not Tony Soprano was a good mob boss (the site reviewed every Soprano episode in discussion format the day after they aired). One of the guys asked Jerry Shargel (I think, represented Peter Gotti and other mob guys as a lawyer) who he thought was the ideal mob boss.

His response was Micheal Corleone. This seemed to annoy the person asking the question because he wanted a real person as an example, but then I started to think, was Micheal really a great Don?

In some ways, obviously he was, but after watching the Godfather movies over again in the last few days I think he was terribly flawed by being not nearly human enough and too cold. I would have personally said Don Vito was a better boss because, while he never established the wealth that Mike did, he seemed to be a much more loved man, while still having respect and fear. Mike seemed somewhat unwilling to listen to reason in part 2 and the end of part 1.

Anyway, this came about because Shargel said that from his experience he felt Tony Soprano was not boss material.

Any thought on Don Vito vs. Don Micheal?