Poll: Sarah Palin more admired than Oprah

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton topped Gallup's annual list of the most admired men and women in America.

What may be more of a surprise is the rest of the list.

On the female side, Oprah Winfrey has held the second spot every year since 2002. This year, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin shook things up by being the top choice of 11 percent of respondents, while Winfrey got 8 percent. Clinton beat them both with 20 percent. She won the poll last year too.

On the male side, Obama easily topped the poll with 32 percent of respondents naming him as the man they most admire. President George W. Bush, who came in first last year with a 10 percent showing, fell to second this year with 5 percent of the vote.

And proving that this may be the most unintentionally funny poll of the year, Laura Bush shares the number seven spot with Angelina Jolie while Bill Clinton landed in a three-way tie with Rev. Billy Graham and the Pope.

Here's a look at the full top ten:

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,008 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Dec. 12-14, 2008.

Click here for last year's poll results.

-Aman Batheja

Comments

[Vanya Mallagh]

I don't see why folks would be surprised that Oprah is falling on this list...they're beginning to see right through her as the rich racist that she is.

[Suzette Watkins]

Go Sarah!

[gayle]

Agreed..We are so over Oprah. We want someone that we relate to like Palin, not some elitist like Oprah. My friends and I do no longer watch her show or anything she is associated with. Can't wait for them to pull plug on O.

[mik]

palin is a joke and everybody likes a good joke

[ronniejack]

Sarah is the real deal and after four years of Obama, she will take us out of this democract horry show.

[R]

mik you took the words from my mouth. what a disaster of a woman. i would have loved to have seen a smarter female pick for vp. i guess she was the best pick.