“hypercompetent”

In a recent article on Slate here, I ran across the following sentence:

“One of the most important figures in the presidential campaign this fall is a controversial, hypercompetent blonde.” (my emphasis)

I find the term “hypercompetent” to be a bit oxymoronic. It’s like saying hypermediocre. Is it really a compliment? Is this ultimately sexist? Was the author trying to avoid using some male-oriented word to describe an ambitious, successful woman? Why reference her hair color?

Recently, polyglot conspiracy has posted about the sexism in the current political media coverage, and this may be an example