decent story, if a bit predictable. the issue is bennet cooper was a star colonel and its been noted that by snow raven law only warriors of minimum rank of galaxy commander or star admiral can be elected to the rank of khan, sakhan and loremaster. since the sakhan (regardless of future crimes) and a noted star admiral is present i don;t see hy they would break the rule and elect a star colonel, especially one that noted he wasn't particularly good when it came to politics. seems to have been a large oversight on the part of the author IMO.
There was lots of research done, and a minimum rank law was never encountered. According to Clan law overall, the only real requirement for a Khanship is a Bloodname. I've heard talk on the boards about the Ravens having a "list" of succession, but I've never seen this documented in official sources regarding them. Also, keep in mind this incident occurs early in the Clans' development (we're still in the Golden Century here), and most of the nuances that define the modern Clans are still in their gestational or infant periods.
Lastly, Bennett never claimed
outwardly that he wasn't good at politics; that he kept to himself. But even people who doubt themselves at first often surprise themselves (and others) by what they are truly capable of under pressure.