Why Incompetents Rule

An article I was reading had a link to a study about how intelligent people are unsure of themselves and incompetents are confident of their ability. This study explains so much. In that same vein, I also ran across an article about hiring practices and the writer talked about how his nephew (in charge of personnel) rejected all the applicants that didn't exude confidence..."What Jay wants to see is if the writer sounds confident. It's the single most important quality an employer desires in an applicant. The next round will test that, and the actual qualifications, but it's confidence that opens the door in the first place."
Aesop said "The smaller the mind the greater the conceit".
Is this why we are stuck with rather stupid leaders instead of the rise of the best and the brightest? That ability won't even get you in the door? There are many articles on anti-intellectualism in America, but might this also be an explanation of why the valedictorian fails and the sports star succeeds?