I heard this one once too often.

"He loves his country and tries to do what he thinks is best" [1]

I think this should be a label on the suit of an asylum inmate. It should not be used to excuse the insane things politicians do.

The resoning behind the sentence seems to go like this: What can you do, he does what he thinks is best. Well, maybe he thought wrong once or twice, but hey, he thought it was best. He loves his country. So he can't be a bad guy. Can he? Did Hitler love his country? I certainly think so.

This statement might actually apply to some, but to whom it is applied to by supporters, or (god help us) by himself should be locked away.

Another quote comes to mind

God protect us from people with good intentions.

[1] The Daily Show, 8 Nov 05, Senator John McCain about Vice President Richard Bruce Cheney