Well said Mr. Bielefeld.
We'd like to believe Mr. Smith's letter was tongue-in-cheek, but we doubt it.  There really is a movement afoot to give up on democracy and replace it with some sort of passionate Strong Man, a recurring theme in World History.  
There are different types of leadership called for at different times.  Gen. Patton may have been  the man for the job in spearheading a mad dash across Germany, breaking some rules to break the enemy.  But no one considered  him fit for the  presidency  after the war.
On the other hand Gen. Eisenhower, for better or for worse, was viewed as a strong but moderate leader who could successfully operate large bureaucracies.  And as president he warned us of the danger of the military-industrial complex.  
Who remembers that today?