W, Hillary Most Admired

President Bush and Senator Clinton are mentioned most often when Gallup asks the public which man and woman they admire the most.

Likely presidential candidate, Illinois Senator Barack Obama joined the list for the first time, coming in fourth behind Presidents Bush, Clinton, and Carter.

Most Admired Man

1 George W. Bush
2 Bill Clinton
3 Jimmy Carter
4 Barack Obama
5 (Reverend) Billy Graham
6 Colin Powell
7 Pope Benedict XVI
8 Nelson Mandela
9 George H.W. Bush
10 Bill Gates

I was surprised to see President Bush at the top of the list given his approval ratings, but presidents usually are the most admired men, having won the top honor 49 of the 60 times Gallup has posed the question.

President. Bush earned the distinction of most admired man with almost no assistance from Democrats. Less than one-half of one percent of Democrats mentioned him.

The poll is bad news for Senator McCain, who fell out of the top ten this year.

Most Admired Woman

1 Hillary Clinton
2 Oprah Winfrey
3 Condoleezza Rice
4 Laura Bush
5 Margaret Thatcher
6 Angelina Jolie
7 Nancy Pelosi
8 Madeleine Albright
9 Barbara Bush
10 Maya Angelou

This is the eleventh time Senator Clinton's finished as the most admired woman. She finished second in 1995 and 1996 (to Mother Teresa) and 2001 (to Laura Bush).

Hillary's first place finish won't hurt her presidential campaign, But Obama's fourth place finish must give her pause.