"Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely"

We've all heard this saying before, but what does it mean? My understanding is that when a person who finds him/herself in a position of power, in this case something resembling omnipotence, the individual will always betray any principles he/she might have had in favor of sculpting a world that conforms to his/her ideal.

I was clicking around the message boards of my Facebook groups, and I came across a thread that discussed how the presidential candidates may or may not have been "corrupted by Washington." The absurdity of this discussion hit me all at once, my conclusion served to validate the ideology I espouse.

Absolute power does not corrupt, corrupt people SEEK absolute power. This is why the state always grows ever more vast, bureaucratic, and oppressive. Does no one question how it came to be that a hypothetical entity arrived upon this power? What is the nature of power? If it is the ability to manipulate the lives of other people and use force to ensure the power-wielder's will is done, isn't it kind of implicit that this person is corrupt to begin with?

The solution is not to legitimize these "positions of power." Let's be honest with ourselves, does anyone truly still believe in the idea of Plato's "philosopher-king?" Do we really expect benevolence and virtue of our political masters? And if there are people that still cling to this fantasy, does historical evidence have no bearing on their mental faculties?