Whom we vote for

With our current president's poll numbers slumping, and many members of the Republican party facing ethics trouble or court time for their transgressions of the law, perhaps we as a country should pause to consider what we use to judge our politicians in our republic.
The average American does not appear to care much with respect to qualifications for representing us in our government so much as nebulous things such as likeability. During the 2004 election, I recall a polling question of who would you much rather join in a backyard BBQ - George W. Bush or John Kerry. George W. Bush won this poll 50% to 39%.
To me, this finding, as well as George W. Bush's victory in the 2004 election tell me that we as a country don't care much about how thoughtful our leaders are, only how "chummy" they come across. Why do we place such a premium on likeability rather than ability to do the job? Such a preference seems to reach down to the most inconsequential elections - school presidents are more likely to be the popular kids than the studious, brainy types. While I'm not necessarily advocating that our nation become a technocracy, I would like to see our country put a premium on ability over charm. Would we ever vote for an MVP sports star who couldn't score points and win games?
George W. Bush had no business being elected governer of Texas or president of the US other than espousing a particular religious faith. He's the equivalent of someone who's been voted an MVP without ever scoring a goal in his life.