Poll: H. Clinton, B. Obama most admired

PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reigns as the Most Admired Woman among Americans, edging former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for the honor, Gallup said.

Sixteen percent of people surveyed said they admired Clinton most, followed by Palin with 15 percent, results released Wednesday by the Princeton, N.J., polling agency indicated.

U.S. talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and first lady Michelle Obama finish third and fourth. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Queen Elizabeth II, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, U.S. poet Maya Angelou, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Elin Woods, wife of golfer Tiger Woods, rounded out the Top 10, Gallup said.

President Barack Obama was the overwhelming winner as the Most Admired Man of the Year, with 30 percent of participants naming him. Former President George W. Bush finished second this year, after winning the honor from 2001-2007. Rounding out the Top 10 are former South African President Nelson Mandela, broadcast personality Glenn Beck, Pope Benedict XVI, the Rev. Billy Graham, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and Tiger Woods, Gallup said.

Graham and Queen Elizabeth II have been the two people with the most appearances on the list since 1946, when Gallup first asked Americans to name the living person they most admire. Graham has 53 appearances on the list while the queen has 42.

Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews with 1,025 adults conducted Dec. 11-13. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.