Well not quite but ...

Like Hitler, Churchill has to some younger folk, become an image rather that the real person he was. As the young (youngest) & suitably arrogant 1st lord of the Admiralty in WW1, when he sent a force to try to outflank Germany through Turkey.
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[link|http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/churchill.html|http://www.time.com/...le/churchill.html]
At Gallipoli in 1915, this Anglo-French force struggled to break the defenses that blocked access to the Black Sea. It was a heroic failure that forced Churchill's resignation and led to his political eclipse.
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To many, he was almost soley responsible for the agonising deaths of many Brit & Aust sailors & soldiers at Gallipoli (a fuck-up of the highest order redeemed only by the courage & tenacity of the troops sent there). Churchill's youthful arrogance & screw-ups were only really exhonerated by his mature age performance as UK PM during the 'Blitz', the 'Battle of Britain' & the middle years of WW2.

But, the population of the UK knew what to do with him once he had had 'his finest hour' - they ditched him in a massive swing from the tories (Repub equivs) that saw Labour's (Dem equiv) Clement Atlee elected as the PM who oversaw the final surrender of Germany & end to WW2.

This link highlights the success of Chuchill in achieving a lasting glory from a mixed career that had its moments of arrogance & fuck-ups begining with his appalling school record. A bit OT: He was clothed in dresses up to the age of six(sheesh).

[link|http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/575219.stm|http://news.bbc.co.u...litics/575219.stm] Winston C - Voted #1 PM

Interestingly Atlee, gets voted #3 after Chrchill #1 & Lloyd-George #2.

[link|http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/churchill.html|http://www.time.com/...le/churchill.html] Good link about Churchill's life & career.

Personally, I am willing to forgive his youthful bastardry because of the pivitol role he played against Hitler. Churchill's father (a failure in his own right) had some interesting (negative) insights into his son (read the link).
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he said the boy lacked "cleverness, knowledge and any capacity for settled work. He has a great talent for show-off, exaggeration and make-believe."
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But despite that, history swung Churchill's way & provided him with his great opportunity for redmption & everlasting fame. So in balance I agree with his #1 position as UK's greatest ever PM (plus we need heroes of the like with which he is portrayed, they are really our own collective ideals embodied in a man of the moment, which Churchill truly was).

Cheers

Doug Marker