Obama, Bush Most Admired Men in America: Gallup

His approval ratings may have cratered over the past two years, but Barack Obama is still the most admired man in America, according to Gallup’s annual poll. Obama took 22% of the vote, cruising past the competition. Who came in second? The Decider himself, George W. Bush, who narrowly edged out Bill Clinton, 5% to 4%. Nelson Mandela and Bill Gates round out the top five. Obama’s dominance isn’t too surprising, Gallup notes—sitting presidents have taken the top spot in 52 of the 64 years it has run the poll.

Obama’s share of the votes is sharply down from the 32% he enjoyed in 2008, but that was “extraordinarily high for a president-elect,” ranking alongside only Dwight Eisenhower. Also notable: Billy Graham made the top 10 for the 54th time. The most admired women list, meanwhile, was largely unchanged from last year, with Hillary Clinton taking her ninth straight title, followed by Sarah Palin, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and Condoleezza Rice, in that order. Click to see the top 10 in each category—Glenn Beck and Angelina Jolie made the cut.
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