Depends on your goals, self improvement etc.
Personally I want to compete, so for me strength is paramount, but conditioning has to go with it. It's no good to be a powerful beast if you're also 50+lbs overweight. That's part of Wendlers philosophy too.
Well, yeah. If you want to compete in a sport that requires strength or huge brute strength is needed in your job, that's different. I'm talking about for most people in the gym, which is probably why most people gravitate towards bodybuilding stuff and don't care about powerlifting.
Lots of people (in the general public) knew who Ronnie Coleman was, not many knew about Ed Coan. There's a reason for that.