I think you lose sight of the larger picture. No matter how bad Bush is, he is still restrained by the civil society behind him. Ahmedijan is willing to imprison and/or kill large numbers of his own people, who are largely powerless, in order to achieve an increasingly more restrictive rule over them.
Just recently he proposed more restrictions on women.

I see your point about their personalities, but you have to keep it in the context of the societies they represent.

At the end of the day, I would still rather see Bush controlling atomic war capabilities than Ahmedijane.

I was strictly comparing Ahmedenijad to Bush. Not the United States to Iran. Not which government I’d rather live under.

Saying that Stalin was ultimately a worse monster than Hitler doesn’t mean I embrace Hitler does it?

I suggest you get past just listing all the evils of Bush.
I agree with many of your criticisms, but I disagree violently with your conslusions.

Criticizing our country and our leaders appropriately is just about the most patriotic thing one can do. It’s a sign of personal responsiblity for our country’s actions.
However, if our country is wrong about something, that doesn’t make another country right. If Bush is wrong, that doesn’t make Ahmedihane right.

Embracing the enemy of my enemy has led to some very bad consequences for our country. We should contemplate that lesson on a personal level, as well.

Ask yourself this: would you rather be a citizen of Iran criticizing their leadership?
Try to keep a perspective, for heaven’s sake.

You really have gone over the edge with that comment.

Yes, Dustin, the first thought I had was to question how sitting in jail for something you didn’t do could make you a “resident” of a nation ruled by a tyrannical theocracy.

That’s the whole point of the Haleh Esfandiari story.

And while the current Iranian regime has always been suspect with regards to Western notions of democracy and law, the U.S. system prided itself on equal justice, openness and rights of the accused. Bush & co. have sought to undermine that.

To answer your question:
If you leave out the rhetoric on both sides (Bush claims to be on the side of God in spreading peace, democracy, freedom and security, while Ahmedinejad claims to be on the side of God in bringing security to his country while destroying Israel) and judge them based only on their actions, Bush is a monster compared to Ahmedinejad.