yes bush is on higher ground than stalin! bush is not mad...stalin just like hitler were certainly mad in some sense .
the problem is that the various leaders don't necessarily do what is best for the people of the respective country. they do what is best for their friends and themselfs and what is necessary to get relected. look at all the dictatorships around the world (china, north korea, iraq etc.)... and the democracies are no different...the system is different but the leaders have the same agendas.
just think about it....its human nature. unfortunately the most unscrupulous are the most successful. thats why the world is in this rather pitiful state. 360 billion dollars wasted on the military in the US alone every year! for what? billions of dollars transfered via the stock market from the average american to a few super rich guys (did you follow on the various stock scandals?). and it goes on and on. lying and deceit is everywhere.
you should watch "a distinguished gentleman" with eddy murphy ...or watch george carlin (bullshit). this stuff is funny and realistic!
added: about the US being benelovent....hmmm it depends on where you look. in the last 50 years they did great damage to middle and southern america and various countries all around the world. i will not go deeper into history because than it gets quite ugly.
i am afraid that the US today is not as bad as several other empires is not because the leaders are nicer but because the circumstances under which they operate are different. the US cannot have gas chambers or gulags but they killed thousands of their own soldiers in various nuclear bomb tests, they starved millions around the world to death, they killed people by supporting the worst dictators and the list goes on indefinitely.