Yes, God is full of Grace and Mercy! And yes, he does allow wicked to lead, and believe He has purpose. Pharaoh, for example. And all the wicked kings of Israel and Judah. Nebuchadnezzar. Goes along with the 2 reasons you listed.
My point was that C Capps said not everything was under God's control on earth, and I disagree. As said, he went on further, but did not catch any of it because I was in disbelief at what I'd heard. Maybe I'm reading too much in to it, but don't think so.