Humanity almost entirely consists of crooked timbers, but, like journalists, historians sometimes have too great a fondness for telling of the flaws and errors of historical figures without placing them in proper context. The larger point is to recognize that the many weaknesses that we see on our own side today will not necessarily be fatal to our cause.
We are all fallible. All of us. We are human, and we have to be.
And I agree with you, the context is not just important, it is critical.
I think the crooked timbers make for much juicier telling...