It can be. The acting is fabulous, the casting is mostly great, and the dialogue is outstanding. I think it's also important, in some unintentional ways. It really shows the isolation of DC from the rest of the country - and how no one in that town gives a damn about anything but that town, and how they can have a rich career in that town. Related to this, it shows DC as a dark town (notice the opening scenes with shadows and darkness over taking everything?). It is indeed.
Yes, and Underwood even holds disdain for those just going after the moola as opposed to attaining power and political leverage on the grand scale. He could teach Machiavelli a few things. There is interesting character development. Maybe Stephen King had it wrong and DC not Vegas will be the evil center after airborne ebola flu.