A Political Dupe

While we all know that to some extent we are being duped by the powers that be (politicians, media, etc.), it recently occured to me that maybe one of the ways is in the very myth that is perpetrated about what a politician actually is.
In spite of all the controversy, corruption, back-stabbing and other stuff that goes on in politics, on some level we are still presented with the image that most politicians are smart people who care about the interests of the country. Maybe not more than their own self-interest, but that at least the majority of them are smart and care about how our government works.
That is, until I saw a Daily Show recently in which they interview a representative from a rural section of Georgia (I don't remember the exact area or person's name, but that's not really important). The guy was an absolute idiot. I mean, an unbelievable idiot. That didn't even have to do anything to make him sound funny.
So, I started thinking. What if, rather than most politicians being smart and passionate, most of them are in fact dumb. As in below average intelligence. Because, to be honest, the people I know that have all the qualities I would want in a political leader have absolutely no interest in being in politics, by and large. The intelligence, honest, integrity, broad-mindedness, dedication, and humility (it is called for public servant for a reason) needed, in my mind, to make a great leader, rarely adds up to a person wanting to run for office.
In fact, what I find the most necessary qualities are a bull-headed dedication to follow your team, a willingness to play dirty to ensure that you win, and the ability to pounce when you smell blood. I don't even think intelligence is a necessary quality in a politician. Probably a useful one, probably one that would allow to you to succeed over others, but not a necessary one. And integrity, dedication to the country and its best interests? Pretty clearly not necessary (or no longer necessary).
What I'm saying is that it's entirely possible that most politicians are the people who were bullies in high school, or maybe the second- and third-in-command to the main high school bully. People who are used to fighting for their self-interest, bullying others to make their own role more secure, and a willingness to follow whatever keeps them in their rung on the ladder.
I definitely don't mean to say that all politicians are stupid bullies. In fact, I very much think that some of the people currently running for the "Big" office are in fact quite intelligent and qualified (although not all of them). Just that maybe we've all been convinced that politicians are supposed to be noble, smart, and dedicated, and it's just the few that ruin it for the rest. Maybe it's the opposite. It certainly provides an interesting perspective on the whole process.