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Obama Still 'Most Admired' Man, Gallup Says; Hillary Clinton Again Top Woman

President Obama listens as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the State Department in Washington on Dec. 13, 2010.
Jewel Samad
/
AFP/Getty Images
President Obama listens as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the State Department in Washington on Dec. 13, 2010.

Though his approval ratings have fallen sharply over the past two years, President Obama remains the nation's most-admired man, Gallup and USA Today report.

Their annual "most-admired" list shows that 22 percent of the 1,019 people surveyed chose Obama. At No. 2: former President George W. Bush, who was the choice of 5 percent.

Obama has topped the list three straight years. His "most-admired" numbers (like his approval ratings) have fallen, though. He was the choice of 32% in late 2008 and 30% in 2009.

And though he's easily held on to the top spot, as Gallup reminds us it's no big surprise that a president comes in at No. 1:

"Sitting presidents have dominated Gallup's Most Admired Man poll over the years, achieving No. 1 in 52 out of 64 measures since Gallup initiated the question in 1946."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton remains the solid top No. 1 as most-admired woman, finishing first for the ninth straight year. Gallup says the top six among women this year were the same as in 2009. The latest numbers:

-- Clinton, the choice of 17 percent.

-- Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, 12 percent.

-- TV host/media mogul Oprah Winfrey, 11 percent.

-- First lady Michelle Obama, 5 percent.

-- Former secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, 2 percent.

-- Queen Elizabeth, 2 percent.

Other notes from the survey:

-- Among men, former President Bill Clinton got 4 percent of the vote. Tied at 2 percent each: South Africa's Nelson Mandela, Microsoft's Bill Gates, Pope Benedict XVI, the Rev. Billy Graham, former President Jimmy Carter and Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck. The Dalai Lama got 1 percent.

-- Five women each got about 1 percent support. They are: actress Angelina Jolie, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, and former first ladies Laura and Barbara Bush.

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Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.