Well he rose to power at a time when Germany needed a charismatic and smart leader, and I dare say he was one.. he just abused his position incredibly and that is what is most disdainful about Hitler.
Personally I love the story of "Operation Valkyrie" (recently made into a film named simply Valkyrie, though I haven't seen it).. that some of Hitlers close men became disgusted at what was going on and decided to assassinate him (and his most loyal friends), though they failed miserably :P At least they tried.. we all have this terrible image of Germany as a really Nazi country but that story shows that there were some people who saw sense :o