What detracts from a DEAD politician's greatness?

[AussieMick]

There have been many great politicians. But they all had their faults and weaknesses. If we are going to assess which ones were truly great, then I think we need to honestly identify their weaknesses.

This Thread is obviously going to involve our own opinions and these might be based on anecdotes or simply our gut feelings. Some politicians would fall into just about all of the categories below (Hitler, Stalin for example).

"Lack of Humility or Awareness"
Churchill lacked the common touch and rarely considered his own faults.

"Hubris" (Excessive pride or self-confidence)

"Susceptibility to Corruption"

"Unpopularity"
Ok this is tricky. Rubbing people up the wrong way ...I mean by it that a politician needs to be able to inspire others and have them automatically invest trust and support. Some 'great' politicians failed to win or keep support. Lord Melbourne once said "I dont want people to support me when I'm right. I want people who will support me when I'm wrong."

Weak or low moral standards
This might cover sexual indiscretions. Lack of honesty. Lack of loyalty to others. Financially lax or spendthrift in personal affairs.

Lack of clarity or simplicity of statements
(Its amazing that some politicians still have problems here ... I think Lincoln's Getty Address was the greatest ever political speech ... but at other times I think he could be verbose ... maybe thats how it was done then.)

Economical with the Truth
(Omits 'unhelpful' issues from statements)