[Boaz]

Edmure cannot be blamed for Robb's inability to defeat Tywin. If Robb had told Edmure explicitly what to do, he'd have had his big chance to defeat Tywin. Robb, Catelyn, and Brynden all knew Edmure's character... why did they not give Ed more instructions? They knew who Ed's counselors were and what they'd say? Robb should have made Ed's role crystal clear. Robb and the Blackfish ganged up on Edmure blamed him for losing the war after leaving him in the dark in the first place. That showed Robb's arrogance and ignorance... this reminds me a lot of his mother... and some of his father.

Robb's forgiveness of Catelyn's treason was in itself unforgiveable. What's the difference in murdering two of the King's hostages and setting free a renowned, kingslaying, enemy general for nothing? In the end, setting the Kingslayer loose was the lesser moral crime but the greater threat to Robb's life.

Mayhaps Robb was not stupid. Mayhaps we could chalk it up to inexperience. But the situation warranted a shrewder man and Robb was vastly unsuited to the tasks before him. Who's more foolish, the fool or he who follows the fool? Roose Bolton and Rickard Karstark stopped following. Karstark picked a lousy way to renounce Robb... btw, Rickard would never have taken the Black if Robb offered it.

Theon was smart enough to stay alive for ten years as a hostage. He was also smart enough to escape without his captors knowing that he'd escaped.

Lord Hoster and Brynden are reportedly intelligent men, but all of Hoster's children have commited a number of errors. Catelyn, Lysa, and Edmure are not the sharpest swords in the armory. And their children also... Robb, Sansa, Bran, and Robert have made many atrocious decisions. Sure they are kids, but Westeros is a nasty place. Rickon is too out of the picture to judge. The smartest descendent of Lord Hoster is Arya... I don't think it's a mistake that she takes more after the Starks than the Tullys.

Robb showed a lot of promise. He lived up to his parents' legacy... he walked right into a political quagmire that he did not understand and got himself murdered.

Let's face it, Robb is a chip off the old block...

Also, Robb had to die. So mayhaps it's not really his fault. As much as Ned had to die, so did Robb. GRRM wants to make his series different from the formulaic crap that infests Fantasy lit. Robb is the quintessential handsome prince... that's a death sentence in ASOIAF.

That being said, Joffrey and Viserys make Robb look like Einstein.

Edit: Weasel Soup, Ed letting Brynden escape was his whole plan. He wanted the Blackfish loose to foil the Lannisters plans. Jaime was the stupid one not to place the Blackfish as a condition of Ed's surrendur.