I'm not sure what it's like in the states but here in the UK, recruiters are nothing more than glorified salespeople.

The problem also lies in the fact that many recruitment agents get paid a woeful base salary, the rest being topped up by commission payments based on successful candidates they pass on. So it's in their interest to ring as many people as possible and put forward as many people as they can because there's a good chance they'll get a "bite" somewhere down the line