The captain general needs strong political skills, good organizational skills (lets not forget the importance of the logistics of moving supplies), and the ability to make good decisions after listening to the advice of others.
Mat has all the above and more (incl. charisma) - no one is better than him in all the above, IMO. The likes of Bashere and Rhuarc have deferred to him before, so did Seanchan field commanders in KOD - and Rand, who knows better than to think he's a military genius. Mat will just need underlings good in all the above, to advise him and implement his decisions. As for politics, if he still needs that much during the War, the Light won't be in good shape anyway. We've seen what he could do in politics with his face off with the Sea Folk anyway, or how he handled Tuon, or how he acted with the AS when he left Salidar. He has it in him (as Trcikster but also from his memories), it's just not skills he had to use prominently so far.
Political skills are always needed. Bashere and Rhuarc never deferred to Mat, but worked with him. (Not that they would mind deferring to Mat. Your examples about Mat's political skills only show how bad he is at it.
Mat would be totally wasted as a field commander, he needs to handle the big picture. He wouldn't last long against the likes of Taim with a strike force (Demandred is clever enough to know to stay out of the field... his behaviour/comments at the Cleansing showed this.. he was the brain behind battles, not the muscle) - and he's much, much too precious to risk losing that way. He's the best strategist the Light has, and militarily he's their best hidden ace. He has so many generals in him he's the most unpredictable commander/strategidt imaginable. He doesn't have patterns the way an Ituralde, Bashere, Demandred, LTT have - he can fight like one general one minute and like a completely differently one another. And unlike LTT, Demandred doesn't know him, and even if he comes to think he does know him or figured him out, his 'style' etc., he still won't know him for real, because Mat will still have many other generals in his head Demandred has not yet seen.
Mat's skills would be significantly more wasted as the overall head of the generals. Consider the Seanchen side vs Itulralde in KoD. Where would you rather have Mat? Would you rather have him in the field where he can react quicker to the information and perhaps figure out Itulralde's plans and react to them? Or would you rather have Mat take over Galgan's position where he can see the whole picture, but often too late to do terribly much besides move these raken here move that army there. Mat is the 'son of battles' not the 'son of campaigns'.
A lot of what you assign to the Captain-General would actually be the charge of his general staff anyway. Some Seanchan would be excellent to work lines and supplies and with organization... placed under Mat they'd be killers with this, especially if you 'upgrade' them with Travelling and they can do their stuff with that instead of to'raken. The clan chiefs know best how to lead Aiel, Bashere and his officers are best with cavalry etc. yet Mat understands all of what they're doing. Mat could probably even teach the Green Ajah stuff they've long forgotten about their TW strategies/tactics, weaves asidde, and LTT knows stuff they have no idea of from the War of Shadow. A lot can be passed, hinted at then practiced via mixed circles's teaching.
Mat is good but I think you are crossing the line into hero-worship here. There is no indication that he is much better then Itulralde for instance. He has some past knowledge, but I doubt he has any knowledge of how to handle chanellers.
Further even with clerks and general staff, it is the responsibility of the head general to ascertain if the supplies even allow it.
My feeling is that the time to risk Mat in the field once TG has started, if the Light is wise, will only come when it's time for someone to lead the forces fighting around SG while Rand and others strike at the Bore. Then it would be time to place Mat in the field. I would even say it's likely end in disaster if the Light let Rand engage in war elsewhere against Demandred beforehand and uses Mat just as field commander without putting him in charge of the greater picture. Only Rand can devise a plan for the SG strike, so it would be really stupid to risk wasting him against Demandred in the field. When he had him, Rand has preferred to rely on Mat with Bashere, Rhuarc and co. anyway. At the moment, Rand can be a great fighter for duels and such, but as General he is still fairly poor on his own.
The light cannot win without taking risks. Mat as a field general is probably a necessary risk. Further, in some sense, Mat will be at worse risk as the over all leader since that will fix him at one place (wherever the central headquarters are). The forsaken will know exactly where to find him.
IMO, there will be just one massive battle Mar will involved in in the field, the one that launches TG. Then, the fighting will spread everywhere and Mat's job will be to coordinate all this until the time of the strike comes and he will take the field again.
Possibly, If this comes to place though, there are many people who could serve in the field just as well as Mat, though.
RabidWombat
Who will be the Captain General over all of the forces of the light during TG (quick survey)
- 05/10/2009 04:52:04 AM
1410 Views
hmm... what a great question 
e. Galgan (I include my estimate for percent chance of others)
- 05/10/2009 05:09:55 AM
521 Views
e. Galgan (I include my estimate for percent chance of others)
- 05/10/2009 05:09:55 AM
521 Views
You assume there will only be two armies: A vs. B. I think there will never be just two armies
- 05/10/2009 05:03:14 PM
456 Views
Re: Who will be the Captain General over all of the forces of the light during TG (quick survey)
- 05/10/2009 05:27:32 AM
606 Views
Mat's skills are better used by him being a field-general I think.
- 05/10/2009 05:54:29 AM
502 Views
I disagree
- 05/10/2009 06:46:28 AM
601 Views
I will agree to disagree then
- 06/10/2009 12:30:06 AM
480 Views
Re: Who will be the Captain General over all of the forces of the light during TG (quick survey)
- 05/10/2009 10:22:17 AM
431 Views
Re: Who will be the Captain General over all of the forces of the light during TG (quick survey)
- 05/10/2009 05:19:46 PM
445 Views
What if Mat invent new non-channeling weapons instead of leading armie?
- 05/10/2009 06:24:18 PM
423 Views
None. There will be several battles and the light will have a different leader in each battle. *NM*
- 05/10/2009 02:09:12 PM
224 Views
As I already said above...
- 05/10/2009 03:23:50 PM
474 Views