Maybe, too, there was more recognition that an indispensable man could be forgiven personal sins.

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James Thomas Flexner titled his biography Washington: The Indispensable Man, and in it he made the argument that of all the founding fathers Washington was the one the country could not do without.

FORBES: Magazine Article

One indispensable man: Dwight Eisenhower.

FORBES: Start the Way You Mean to Finish - Be Like Ike

Pervez Musharraf's departure as president of Pakistan leaves the Bush administration without the man it once praised as an "indispensable" partner in the war against terrorism.

NPR: Analysts Urge U.S. Policy Shift After Musharraf

Since 2004 he has gone from an underdog one-man-party to leading the 3rd-largest party in the Dutch parliament and an indispensable partner in the governing coalition of the Netherlands today.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy