Originally posted by Sophia:
The meeting where Michael is moving up to Don- he tells Tom, he's out as consiglieri. He explains that he's not a wartime consiglieri - but isn't he? I mean he was around when Don Vito was sick - he helped Santino when he went out and was shooting everyone. He was there after Michael shot up Solozzo and the police chief - was that wartime?
It's referenced in the book that even Tom realizes he is NOT a wartime consligieri. He comes to this conclusion after Vito was shot and not being able to anticipate this turn of events. The book goes into much more detail about Tom's inability to be a wartime consligieri. The other Families all snicked behind the decision to make Tom, an Irishman, the #2 man in the Corleone Family. I think they were even referred to as "The Irish Family."
But even in the movie, Sonny says "Will you just do what I tell you to do! Goddamn it! If I had a wartime consiglieri -- a
Sicilian -- I wouldn't be in this shape! Pop had Genco -- look what I got.
