re: Just how incompetent was Jefferson Davis?

I would never think of anyone from the south fighting to protect their rights as incompetent. Were they misguided and fighting for a lost cause? Maybe.
But on the other side, Lincoln knew that both latitudes depended on each other and separation would be a death sentence for both. Both sides made tough decisions and even crossed the local beliefs for the common good.
In the end we are better for it as a country.