I would take it a step further, DC, in saying that Michael was indeed a "lousy cold hearted bastard" and Vito was not. In the novel there are countless examples of Vito's acts of kindness toward the most humble of people, and it is clear that at his funeral and at the wake at the mall there were people from all walks of life who Vito had helped. Likewise at Connie's wedding Vito wanted it to be all inclusive..."a guinea wedding" instead of comething more elitist which Connie wanted. Compare those events to the high class event Michael sponsored in tahoe for his son's first communion. Clearly Michael was noa a man of the people like Vito was.
Additionally, Puzo at least gives a rationale for the existence of the mafia. He explains that Sicily had been conqured so many times and ruled by corrupt people that the Sicilians thmselves created the Mafia for their own protection. When Vito came to the US he learned quickly that Italkian Americans were not getting a fair shake, and he refused to become a part of what he saw as a corrupt system. By the time Michael attained power, he could have done more to fulfill Vito's dream that one day there would be no need for a Mafia, but instead the Sicilians could live the American dream and themselved become pezzanovante.
Given that the Corleone wealth which Puzo describes (including vast real estate holdings in New York City, Hotels in Vegas, and investments in FLorida property going back to the 50's, there was plenty of money and Michael didnt really need to be doing business with Hyman Roth. For that matter he didnt need to be meddling in Frankie Five Angels affairs. He could have told Frankie .."do what you want with the Rosatos, its your family now. You are absolutely right when you say I am living here drinking champagne cocktails and out of the street business.
Had Mike just developed the Corleones legitimate holdings, had he chosen not to go into business with Roth, and had he not continued to micromanage the New York street operations he would have been fulfilling his father's dream.
In reflecting further on this whole thing, I keep going back to Michael's speech in GFIII over the body of DonTomassino. There he is truly a lost man. He does not understand why Dontomassino (and by the same analysis his father) was loved and why he, Michael was feared. He asks what betrayed him...his heart? his mind??? What he is avoiding is he betrayed himself, and at then end of the day he betrayed his fathers own wish that one day there could be a Senator Corleone, Governor Corleone...whatever.
