Actually he had a decent grasp of strategy. Evidenced by his management of both sides of the Clone Wars, the ability to maintain his rule for 19 years suppressing opposition before it arose and his contingency plans in the event of his death point to a devious and complex mind. He employed many truly great strategists and recognized tactical worth. That being said his major weakness was actually from his Sith training. His belief that sheer terror and power coupled with manipulation were the keys to long term stability.
The TIE Interceptors were very good fighters that were decent quality and cheap to make, in competent hands a TIE could beat an X wing hands down. The main point of the Empire's fleet strategy was large scale suppression using the ISDs to deal with planets and assaults with the fighters there mainly to screen the main line ships. This can be an effective strategy when fighting fleets or governing large expanses of territory but it makes chasing down Rebels who use the "Stateless Strategy" very difficult. The ISD was by and by the most widely used and competent ship produced by any of the factions in the Galactic Civil war.
As for a barely armed sheet of toilet paper I assume you mean the Superweapons? The First Death Star fell prey to the acts of Luck and Vader's idiotic plan to let the rebels have the plans without altering them in any way or just killing the heroes as they tried to fly off the Death Star. The Second was not completed, it did not share the same flaw as the first one and actually had some interesting conventional uses in war as well as terror. The Tarkin, Eye of Palpatine, Death Star Prototype, and Sun Crusher were mere prototypes that were not meant to be deployed on a full scale military level until finished with testing(as they never were) The World Devastators WERE unstoppable and carried out their task very efficiently but were stopped by let's face it a crap plot device. The Eclipse I and II were magnificent weapons of war that were again victims of plot devices as they and the Sovereigns could hold their own against a fleet without support. Each served a specific purpose and were only destroyed due to the fact the Heroes ALWAYS win in the end so the things had to be stopped in increasingly unbelievable ways. Personally I think the superweapons far from being wastes when coupled with proper military support or tactics were very effective and creative.
Actually the reason why R2-D2 did kicked the World Devastators ass is because Palapatine allowed it. he thought he was playing both sides as he was in the Clone Wars but because he underestimated both Luke and Leia and a certain astromech droid he was defeated. Although the writers did not know this at the time it can be excused as such.
Also the Dark Empire comic book series I found was a little over the top (I mean NO ONE heard about the Eclipse or World Devastator or Galaxy Gun in the 7 years after the Battle of Endor). Heck even Timothy Zahn didn't like it he implied it when Mara Jade did not believe that the clone Emperor was real (you can read it in the Thrawn Duology).
My vote goes to Thrawn because he anticipated the Yuuzhan Vong war and how to fight it before anyone else. Even the Emperor himself. Also he only used his skills when necessary because even he recognized that he would not live forever and he wanted the Imperials to be ready for war.
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