Nowun Till at home with the great and the good

The expression 'the great and the good' what exactly does it mean and who is it meant to impress?

Is this a club membership, apparently Bill Clinton qualifies for this group. Is the entry criteria for this group one that means you have to lie to your wife after getting a blow job from your secretary? Great? Good? Not sure on that.

Tony Blair apparently meets the qualifying mark. Ex Prime Minister of the UK, widely derided and despised, ignored the public and consistently lied (apparently all politicians 'have to lie'). Great? Good?

Roman Polanski is another qualifier. He is still wanted in the US for questioning about his sexual preferences, which include having sex with a thirteen-year-old girl. Great? Good?

Seems the term 'great and good' may have become a little distorted and should perhaps read perverted and corrupt.