"The victor will never be asked if he told the truth"
-- Adolf Hitler
Do cultures often see size an might as an indication of truth? Most religious leaders from humble backgrounds were not taken seriously at first simply because they did not seem powerful. What about modern day indications of this... if a large well known company were to say something about it's product would that merit it being more true than the little shop around the block? How would that apply to leaders of countries where they are mighty and the ones that are poor?
With respect to leaders of countries, I think the opposite is true today. Most of what George Bush says today is taken with a grain of salt, and questioned intensely. I think the people would instead take the word of a less powerful leader, as they would feel this person had nothing to gain except getting the truth out to the people.