It goes hand-in-glove with the conflicting ideas that "the other side is so stupid and incompetent" while at the same time "the other side is so sly and crafty

It goes hand-in-glove with the conflicting ideas that "the other side is so stupid and incompetent" while at the same time "the other side is so sly and crafty with their diabolical plans." I'm pretty sure some folks in 1930s Germany used similar tactics.