Was Sheev Palpatine right? GRANTED, he was the one that secretly got the Trade Federation to attack Naboo, but in doing so he exposed the weakness and indecisiveness of the Galactic Republic. They were just a bunch of bickering politicians inside a giant stuffy room arguing about every minute detail. No real leadership, no honor to commit to their false partnerships and alliances (who's going to force them?), Sheev basically exposed the weakness of the Republic and brought forth the solution. Maybe they SHOULD have been an empire.