I think what it really comes down to is that people want to follow both Cloud and Squall, and say so many times in the games. The main character is also often viewed as the "leader", and as the main character a very wide-range of responses, backstory, and problems can make them much more interesting.

I mean, would people follow Squall in real life? I don't know... Is it more unbelievable than Cid handing over an entire Garden of students to a 17-year-old? Sometimes, these things are just the plot they wanted to make.

And where on earth is Tidus in all this? Tidus is just Zidane without the mental breakdown when he finds out about himself. In fact, he just got up and smiled and kept going and bottled it inside. By your standards, Tidus > Zidane. Although Yuna was the leader and not Tidus in my opinion anyway.

They all save the world (assuming the player doesn't die), so in essence they all do the job they are given with the personalities they have. They're all winners when it comes down to it. If you disagree, and your stance is that Cloud and Squall are just incompetent, then I suppose the people who follow them are the people truly deserving of a rant.