I treat this expression as Ayenbite of Inwit. When I use it (because I'm super pretentious) I don't mean the book itself or the saner English version of the title "Remorse of Conscience". I mean it as a parody of the later. Like, when someone comes up with a contrived blame for wrongdoing that either didn't happen or was so minor that it doesn't warrant the discussion.

I don't think author means "best minds" literally. I think they mean it ironically, more like "those who are most eager to perform the task assigned to them".

But maybe I'm saying the obvious. Irony is admittedly hard to translate into writing.