Something very cynical about this.
I think a review of history will reflect that the Venn diagrams for "ambitious" and "leader of men" intersect. And it is in that intersecting part that we should be looking for our cabinet heads.
I did that because it is ancient history. But go ahead, throw it in there. He was in his 40s, so no, not excusable. The difference is he was elected (like Trump) despite the electorate's full awareness of his moral failings.
Here we are talking about appointing someone from a vast universe of possible appointees.