We have no real proof for or against Ulfric's intellect. Tullius did outfox him, but that's about it. He also seems to believe Balgruuf will eventually support him because "he's a true Nord" or some such rot, which points to Ulfric either being clueless about Balgruuf's distaste for him or genuinely believing his own rhetoric, but not really a metric of Ulfric's intelligence.

Put simply, he'd be High King if i could make it so.

He's good at keeping his throne warm.

That's more to do with Ulfric's faith in Balgruuf's stock as a Nord, which Ulfric takes to mean his value in Skyrim over the Empire. In any case, Ulfric had no choice but to wait and see anyway, as he would have rather not had to succumb to invasion if he didn't have to. That to me is his greatest sign of patience and wisdom, which offsets those who says he's impatient, rash, etc etc.

As for Tullius outsmarting him, is this really a surprise? Ulfric was a common soldier, turned Jarl who seems to rely on Galmar mostly for military matters, whilst Tullius is a general practiced in his craft. That's not really a good look at Ulfric's intellegence either.

I think a point many misses is that Ulfric apparently had the upper hand before Tullius, self-professed go-to guy for the Emperor, turned up, and after Helgen the two enters a stalemate. By Rikke Tullius is described as "the best hope for Skyrim and the Empire", so he really isn't some low-name general. He seems to be one of the better ones in the Imperial Legion at large. Ulfric and his own commanders have to be fairly competent to make this work.

I dislike Ulfric for personal reasons but the man can't be that much of an idiot when he's able rally half of Skyrim to his cause. As for believing in Balgruuf, that's more of a misguided thing on Ulfrics part as he assumes that all true Nords should rally behind him....I agree with him to some extent as both he and the Empire might be bad for Skyrim but he's definitely the lesser evil as he's trying to hang on to Skyrims honored traditions of Talos and the like.

Indeed, indicated from the mouth of Hadvar. Whether Ulfric owes that to Galmar or not is unknown, but they seem to have equal footing in the planning. Fighting Tullius to a stalemate after his capture's not an easy feat. I'd assume.

Ulfric's dialogue with Galmar seems to suggest that they work out many of the plans together, and Ulfric, during the Liberation of Skyrim(when Galmar is not in the palace) has dialogue with his steward, where he gives orders regarding troop movements. He seems to be very heavily involved, though Galmar could very well be the better tactician of the two. What is certain is that they work well together.

Of course, you have to take into account Rikke as well, who acts to Tullius like Galmar does to Ulfric, just on opposite spectrums. She helps him stay on the good side of the political aspect of it, after all.

She does more than that, apparently having reports on the Stormcloaks that Tullius does not, as he underestimates their numbers and their threat to Whiterun.

True enough. That would have been a nasty surprise for Tullius.

Dengeir's not so bad as people make him out to be.

"I might be old, but I haven't forgotten that a Jarl's first duty is to look after his people."

If he was insane, he wouldn't want evidence of things and then change his mind when the evidence doesn't point to what he thought it was(Hod's letter). He's paranoid, but reasonably so given the circumstances of his dethroning.(Though it's odd his spies comment stays after stormcloak victory. But so do a lot of civil war dialogues.)

I don't dislike Balgruuf. He is a decent enough leader and administers his hold quite well.

Though, I do believe he is bit overrated because he lets some petty rivalry get in the way of his better judgement. I find it laughable that people believe he would make a better king than Ulfric.

I think the first part of your post is why he would make a better king for some people. Elisif is too young in the rulership department and Ulfric is a warmonger with the power to shout you to pieces (lore-wise anyways), so Balgruff is better than the two combined.

He suddenly gets a lot better and less paranoid when he becomes Jarl. He doesn't even offer the "steal the letter" quest anymore. Also, he thought his maid was a spy before, but trusts her and makes her steward after.

Not only that, but when you go to him for something after he is made Jarl, you have to go and find him. He does not sit on the throne all day.

I really like Jarl Balgruuf, he seems to genuinely care about his people. That was clear when he tells the soldier reporting the dragon near the watch tower, to go and get some food and rest. Also when he sides with Irileth about Riverwood and says, 'I will not stand by as my people are slaughtered!'

Him, together with a few others in Whiterun really make Whiterun feel like home as they welcome the player as one of them. Also Balgruuf is the not skeptical or obnoxious about you being the Dragonborn, he accepts it and shows you respect for it.

His Imperial leanings....well they are another thing. I was actually shocked when Balgruuf sat on the Imperial side of the table at a certain meeting. Ulfric could hardly have missed that, especially when Balgruuf says...'This is how the Empire repays us for our loyalty!' when we are discussing Markarth. I guess Balgruuf is known to be loyal to the Empire, he just hasn't made it 'official'.

Either way, I still think Balgruuf the best candidate for High King, faults and all.

Say what you want about the Empire. They don't mince words.

Also, I'd rather sign up for the system where I know that's how things work than the one where the guy at the top says "I have the right to rule because I killed the person before me," yet doesn't extend that courtesy to those beneath him.

While the Empire certainly seems to be doing some ugly stuff at this point in time, you make a good point that apparently they don't show that darkness that often, or else they wouldn't have been trying so hard to appease the Nords.

one thing you can say about Balgruuf (Misspelled) is that he is not some blind Imperialist. He defends his hold even in the face of risking war with another hold, he refuses to kick Heimskr out or ban the worship of Talos (For Heimskr at least) and the only problem I have is that he seems to be blinded by hatred for Ulfric when he is either forced or tricked into siding with the Imps. and even that seems more about convenience for his hold than anything else.

He is a cool Nord in my book, with all that said.

Hey, if the mincing of words is bad, how do you rate the purposeful abandoning of an entire people to save yourself? I've always wondered how anyone can call out the Stormcloaks for things like that... and kinda just accept that the Empire did something that is just horribly awful. How is it that people don't react more strongly to this? The Empire abandoned a whole people to save themselves.

It seems you're twisting what is going a bit. Ulfric isn't saying he got the right to rule because he killed the last guy, he is saying he has the right to rule(assuming a Stormcloak victory) because he controls the military and political landscape of the land. He only speaks of the duel as a symbol of the Empire's weakening influence on Skyrim or something to that effect. His reasons are exactly the same reasons the Empire think they have a right to rule Skyrim. So if you're against Ulfric on those grounds, I'm sorry, but then I have to call you out as a hypocrite.

I don't think they're trying to appease the Nords these days. Only squash the rebellion. According to Balgruuf the Empire told the Nords to shut their mouths and get in line with the WGC, paraphrasing of course. The innkeeper of Candlheart Hall has some good dialogue if the Imperials win: http://cs.uesp.net/index.php?game=sr&formid=0x00094178

The comment I assume you though I said the Empire hides their darkness from is actually referenced to the forums and how it appears that many just blindly accepts the basis that the Empire are the good guys and just gloss over the things that puts them as much worse than anything the Stormcloaks have done.

Granted, I do find the comment about knowing how thing work to be a bit laughable. And I think you know all to well what I'm thinking about:

To be honest, unless someone believes Ulfric Stormcloak is an active agent on behalf of the Aldmeri Dominion, I don't see how anyone who knows the lore can support the Empire. Unless they just don't care about Skyrim or the Nords, of course.

Except that the good that comes from the former is outweighed by the bad that comes from his inability to make a sound decision despite his better judgement, resulting in him putting his people in harm's way over a petty childhood(?) rivalry.

More like "If you go out of your way to make sure the man that just killed your own King and Jarl to leaves the city unmolested, you're just as much a traitor as he is."

Which ignores Nordic traditions. A tradition, mind you, is confirmed by Sybille Stentor, the courtmage of Solitude.

The only thig Ulfric kinslayer is good at is killing people who disagree with him with magical powers they have no chance of resiting. He's nothing more than a craven bully and coward that gets by on just enough charisma and buzzword use (Freedom! Tradition!) to make the masses think he's a great man.

A tradition that only applies when Ulfric wants it to, apparently. And one that only became relevant when he decided it was time to make a power grab. "Tradition" is like religion. It's the first resort and last bastion to cowards, con men, scoundrels and other scum looking to cover their asses when someone bigger calls them on their actions.

And the Empire is an enterprise built on the exploitation of other nations, who'll gladly throw said nations to the wolves to save themselves. Built by, I might add, someone who makes Ulfric Stormcloak look like a benevolent ruler even at his worst depiction on this forum.