Queen Victoria- Hurrah For Empire!
Kaiser Wilhelm II- WWI German Leader
Robert The Bruce- 1st Scottish King
Shaka Zulu- United Zulu Tribes
Pancho Villa- Mexican Revolutionary General
Although Villa held a Mexican state governor post for two years, and was a regional strongman, he was never a national leader as defined in the OP, I think. I’m open to persuasion otherwise.
YogSosoth, FDR had already been nominated by AClockworkMelon.
From what I can tell, during the Mexican Revolutionary War, the country was incredibly fractured, especially in the north (where Villa was operating). For all intents and purposes he was leading a country (or something approximating it; certainly a more or less autonomous area). And he’s still seen as a Mexican Hero these days, so in that sense he’s also a National Leader IMHO.
If you’re still not convinced, we could add:
Jefferson Davis: The Confederate President
But Pancho Villa filmed his Revolution and starred in it as himself, which is far cooler than being the runner-up in the US Civil War. 
Moses - founder of all monotheistic religions, concept of moral laws (sorry, that’s more than three words)
Thomas Jefferson - created U.S.
Hmmm. I don’t think of Moses as a national leader, as such (more of a religious/ethnic leader), but I could be persuaded otherwise. And XanderCrews already nominated Jefferson.
I’m not entirely convinced about Pancho Villa, Martini Enfield, but I’ll let him stay in the game, at least for the moment.
Just making a prediction: Moses will be voted out immediately like he was in the other threads either for being a fictional character or for being a religious leader/military general rather than a national leader.
Can’t speak for anyone else, but I’ve got at least 3 people on my hit list (4 if Jeff Dave is in) ahead of Moses.
Fair warning: I’ll need a lot of convincing or I’ll vote to eliminate him very early.
England had at least 4 or 5 Kings named Henry more important, IMO, than number V. (Admittedly “important” isn’t the same as “great.”)
I didn’t nominate any of those other Henry’s, going instead with Alfred, without whom Great Britain would be speaking Danish.
I’m somewhat murky on what constitutes a “nation” for some of these putative national leaders. I’m not certain Ghengis Khan led “a nation;” Shaka Zulu probably does count, IMHO.
Our nominees so far:
Alexander the Great - Dude could conquer
Alfred the Great - scholar, warrior, statesman
Cory Aquino - Phillipine democracy restoration
Asoka - 3rd century BC India
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - modernized Turkey
Caesar Augustus: founded Roman Empire.
Attila the Hun - humble, fearsome conqueror
David Ben-Gurion - First Israeli PM
Otto von Bismarck - United Germany
Simon Bolivar- independent Latin America
Gaius Julius Caesar - Roman Dictator and General
Fidel Castro- communist Cuba
Charlemagne, Imperator Romanorum
Winston Churchill – British wartime inspiration
Oliver Cromwell- England a republic
Cyrus the Great - great, benevolent conqueror
Charles de Gaulle - 20th century France
David - Conquered the Philistines
Jefferson Davis: The Confederate President (assuming this was a real nomination)
Deng Xiaoping - Made modern China.
Elizabeth I of England: Shrewd, determined queen.
Frederick II - 18th century Prussia
Gandhi - Independence through peace
Genghis Khan - Founder of the Mongol Empire
Gorbachev - Cool birthmark
Hammurabi - first written laws
Henry V of England: Legendary warrior-king.
Adolf Hitler - Nazi German Leader
Isabella I of Castille - unified & developed Spain
Thomas Jefferson- Declaration of Independence
Justinian I - Unleashed Belisarius.
Abraham Lincoln: Won Civil War.
Louis XIV – France’s “Sun King”
Nelson Mandela: Overcame imprisonment, triumphed.
Mao Zedong, Chinese revolutionary
Thomas Masaryk – Czechoslovakia’s founding president
The Meiji Emperor of Japan
Menes - United Egypt
Montezuma - Aztec leader
Moses - founder of all monotheistic religions
Muhammad - United Arabia
Napoleon I - French Expansionist Emperor
Nebuchadnezzar II - Babylon’s greatest ruler
Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian Prime Minister
Rameses II - Egypt’s greatest pharaoh
Franklin Delano Roosevelt - 32nd American President
Peter the Great- modernized Russia
Pitt the Elder - 18th century Britain
Robert The Bruce- 1st Scottish King
Anwar El Sadat – Egyptian warrior, peacemaker
Saladin - Muslim leader
General Antonio López de Santa Anna - Mexican nationalist leader
Haile Selassie – Ethiopia’s longtime emperor
Shaka Zulu- United Zulu Tribes
Qin Shi Huang - Made China
Solon - founded Athenian democracy
Tamerlane the Great - clever, liberal conqueror
Umar - expanded Islamic empire
Queen Victoria- Hurrah For Empire!
Pancho Villa- Mexican Revolutionary General
Lech Walesa - 20th century Poland
George Washington: First U.S. president.
Wellington: Statesman, general, gentleman.
Kaiser Wilhelm II- WWI German Leader
I count 64, which is not a bad number to start with for this kind of game.
So you subscribe to the theory that Moses and Akhenaten were the same person ?
Maybe; I don’t know. Diogenes definitely disagrees; maybe he’ll show up and argue.
True, but nominations will still close at noon EST on Weds. May 19, as provided in the OP. I reserve the right to edit the three-word (or longer) descriptions as necessary for accuracy, clarity and consistency.
So. Game thread soon?
Yup. Tonight, I hope.
Thanks for your patience. Game thread here: Greatest National Leader elimination game (game thread) - The Game Room - Straight Dope Message Board