Obama tops 'most admired' poll

Published: Dec. 26, 2008 at 8:22 AM
Order reprints
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) walks with President-elect Barack Obama as they make their way to the Oval Office for a meeting at the White House in Washington on November 10, 2008. (UPI Photo/Gary Fabiano/Pool)
U.S. President George W. Bush (R) walks with President-elect Barack Obama as they make their way to the Oval Office for a meeting at the White House in Washington on November 10, 2008. (UPI Photo/Gary Fabiano/Pool) | Enlarge Enlarge
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is the man Americans admire most in the world, a USA Today/Gallup Poll indicates.

A month before his inauguration, Obama dislodged President George W. Bush from the top spot on the poll's "most admired" list, which Bush had held for seven years, the newspaper reported Friday.

Obama's performance was the first time a president-elect has topped the annual survey in more than 50 years as Bush fell to a distant second, USA Today said.

Other poll results showed U.S. Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton leading the list of most-admired woman, repeating a showing she has posted for 13 of the past 16 years. A newcomer came in second: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the running mate of Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

Thirty-two percent of poll respondents listed Obama first or second in their choice for "most admired man," with 5 percent going for Bush, and 3 percent for McCain.

Twenty percent listed Clinton, 11 percent picked Palin and 8 percent chose Oprah Winfrey as "most admired woman."

The survey of 1,008 adults, taken Dec. 12-14 by telephone, has a margin of error of 3 percentage points, pollsters said.


© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Doctor advises: Don't go to work sick (3 min)
Yoga schools stretched by state regulation (6 min)
Mom charged with botched murder-suicide (7 min)
Meds cause dry mouth, researchers find (25 min)
Puppy transporter charged with cruelty (42 min)
Study: Play ball after shoulder surgery (46 min)
MLB: LA Dodgers 12, Milwaukee 8 (10 inn.) (48 min)
fark
Only the Royals would consider Yuniesky Betancourt a 'major trade'. Second paragraph- 'Betancourt,...
Probably the most spectacularly disturbing suicide you'll read about today
Photoshop these creepy earrings
Patronizing Tijuana hookers while on drugs may be unhealthy, according to Dr. N.S. Sherlock, of...
Defense lawyers request words like "polygamy,""cult" and "compound" not be used in their client's...
TSG Mugshot roundup: Twin billing