The fighting was just fine, but it was what she should have been expected to do. Any sister in the Tower who failed to fight would have been a disgrace and a shame on the Tower. Fighting back when someone attacks you is not heroic. And it is NOT a great deed when you have an overwhelming advantage and win. I wouldn't give Rand props for beating a woman in a fight, and certainly not for his defeat of the Seanchan with Callandor. The triumph for him was his tactics and manuevers that forced the Seanchan to congregate and be vulnerable to an attack from Callandor. The actual blasting was no big deal, as in the case when he fought the Shaido with the Power at Cairhien, or when the Asha'man slaughtered the Shaido at Dumai's Wells. Rand gets points for starting up the BT in the first place, and Taim for his recruiting and training and the Asha'man for standing their ground when ordered, but the fight itself - no big deal.

Yeah, all one of those generations. Do you read ANYTHING that does not feature weaves of the Power? Morgase took the throne from House Mantear! How did Elayne fall back on anything, anyway? She actually had to win a battle, not merely survive a catastrophic defeat, and be raised or take power thanks to loopholes in the Tower law and women who are supposed to be Sitters being ignorant of that same law.

Poor military skills? She was the only functioning military mind! What senior nobles? The only ones on her side were children or demonstrably incompetant next to her! She insisted on building up her army over Dyelin's opposition AND that of her so-smart Warder, and if she had not, she would have been even more outnumbered than she found herself when her enemies came, in defiance of all conventional military wisdom. Give me one suggestion or even implication that the use of the gateways to supply the city and move troops to respond to attacks was anyone's idea but Elayne's! And it was HER idea to make the attack that won the war, when Birgitte merely wanted to flee back to the Palace. There is not the slightest suggestion ANYWHERE that she made even the slightest mistake. I have never suggested Egwene should have done more or better in the battle against the Seanchan, because she was not in a situation where anything better was available to her. But it was not a heroic episode either - it was what it was. There were no opportunities for winning or losing in her circumstances, just doing the best you can, which she did. It does not make her the ultimate Green or a hero of the Horn. Siuan's, Bryne's & the soldiers accompanying them accomplished a far more heroic feat in going into the Tower during a Seanchan raid to rescue their leader! Bear in mind that I actively hate two of the characters involved, and think Bryne is something of a jerk.

Except they ARE her accomplishments. She did not have Siuan or anyone else whispering her moves into her ear, she did NOT screw up and survive only due to her enemy's unaccountable whim, and she did not rely on rules and procedural technicalities to get ahead. She had to WIN a battle. All of her accomplishments are genuine and more significant than Egwene's which have come on the artificial playing field of politics, rather than civil war. What Great Captain was leading Elayne's army? Where was her deposed predecessor advising her? The only reason Elayne ended up a captive of the Black Ajah is that they saw her candidacy as a threat, rather than an opportunity. What Forsaken demanded Elayne's rescue? What Darkfriends supported her against anything but their own Trojan Horse? At stake with Egwene's defeat is the comfort and privileges of a few hundred wealthy and powerful women. Elayne is responsible for millions of Andoran lives that could be lost to the Shadow or the Seanchan! One city in her nation alone has the population of which Egwene has responsibility.

Well if everyone else wasn't so busy having orgasms over her flashy but useless actions, I might have had time to fully articulate my position and give her what credit is due. I'm trying to tell people that, no, the President does NOT deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, and you're demanding to know why I haven't given him credit for getting elected president against idiotic opposition.