I don't get the love for Rick

So I'm watching Walking Dead from the beginning. I really didn't watch it thoroughly when it first came out, kind of caught bits and pieces and then watched the last few seasons but had never gone back and watched it from the beginning.

I never liked Rick as a character. Ever.

And honestly now that I've gone back to the beginning I'm wondering why anybody did... because from what I've seen it seems that most people thought he was great. But to me... especially in the beginning he was the cause of half the problems with the group. He certainly was not a good leader.

He's the one that got Sophia killed. When he found her he very easily could have just told her to hide, done what he needed to do to kill the couple of walkers around and then escorted her back to her mom. Instead, like some idiot, he tells her to run off on her own which ends up getting her killed. Before he knows he's dead he keeps sending people out to look for her for days on end when to anybody and everybody it was obvious by that time she was gone. That little girl wasn't going to survive the first day on her own out in the woods but he put everybody in jeopardy by continuing to look for her. On top of that, how many times did he just let Carl run around on his own -- with ALL the danger around -- and not once act like he was concerned. That, to me, was the most incredible thing... and I don't mean incredible like good, I mean incredible like how stupid can you be.

Honestly, I know Shane had his faults... but honestly he was pretty much right about everything and if Rick was gone he probably would have been a better leader. Rick just was not a good decision maker -- first he wanted everyone's opinion and then he'd just run off and do whatever he wanted. He was honestly, basically just an asshole.

And I'm just 2 seasons in at this point. I know later in the series he doesn't really get any better so I'm not understanding the love for him at all.

By the way, yes I know it's a tv show/comic book (although I've never read it so I don't know how accurate it was) and I know some of this was by design to set up the drama... but still, that's who he was as a character and people still like him - thought he was a good leader. And I just don't see it. I would have never followed anybody like him at all.