Cornelius Fudge: Aut idiotus aut homo malus?

Some Harry Potter web-pages go on about how Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, is "evil", "he's a Death-eater", &c., mostly because of his opposition to Harry and Dumbledore in "Order of the Phoenix". But I think that's to miss the point of his character and his position as the minister. When you have all that power and responsibility, you don't have to be downright evil to cause all kinds of damage, make all kinds of mistakes, stepping on people and ruining reputations as you seek ludicrous goals. In this case, Fudge wishes to quell rumors of the Dark Lord's return and forbid dissenting opinions regarding this. So instead of seeking after the truth, Fudge seeks to make his own truth - always an impossible task - by disregarding overwhelming evidence to the contrary. In this way he hopes to keep order in the Magical World. Harry and Dumbledore's reputation are collateral casualties to him and even his overzealous assistant, Umbridge. Both are incessant bureaucrats, misguided, irresponsible and ultimately their attempt fails, Fudge going through a sort of reluctant repentance. But they are not evil in the way Voldemort or his death-eaters are though their means to achieve ends sometimes overlap. Voldemort's ends, his intentions, are absolutely evil because the goal is his own complete domination of the world and the domination of his ideology.