edit: Let me expand on that. In principle, that is the ideal situation. However, an additional big improvement would be for both parties to lose the team sport/team player mentality, too. I honestly think that is a major contributor to the lack of quality in our leadership.
I'd agree, but I think part of that is a consequence to the "nationalization" of politics. When elections for House and Senate were about local issues, I think voters were more likely to send independent thinkers to the Legislature and party leadership mattered less.
Now the national leadership for the parties are taking much more interest in the individual races and doing their best to apply national values and issues to local elections. Other posters have mentioned NY23 as an example of a national figure (Palin) trying to force national issues or values onto what is essentially a local election. In NY23, the result was a loss that was firmly rooted in ignorance. What passes for a good candidate in Alaska or Alabama isn't a good candidate for New York.
I'm actually pleased about NY23 for that reason. I'd rather see the national party leaders fail on the local level as it means that local voters are voting based on what matters to them, not based on what "L"etter follows a candidates name.