*sigh*

Hitler was a genius at some things. But, like most geniuses, he was also very lacking in other (and important) departments.

Offensive military leader: Genius (one of the best ever)
Defensive/Retreat military leader: Idiot (Washington was the man at this)

Raising Morale/Support through speeches: Genius (i don't understand German and hearing some of his speeches give me goosebumps)
Cunning/Diplomatic Speaker: Idiot (see the text of his conversations with Stalin... Way to get yourself an enemy....)

Indepedent Decision Maker: Genius (Riestag incident, among others)
Cooperative Decision Maker: Idiot (see his reaction to recommendations from German generals on submitting to Allies)

but if you say really broad shit like 'Hitler was a genius' or 'Al Qaeda did a great job on 9/11', of course people are going to look at you like you should burn in hell. You need to be aware of the environment you're in when you touch on delicate subjects, and also take special care not to possibly imply something you don't agree too.