OBAMA THE MOST ADMIRED MAN IN THE WORLD

Obama the most admired man in the world, American poll says * Associated Press, * guardian.co.uk

Americans say President-elect Barack Obama is the most admired man in the world, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll.

President-elect Barack Obama is the man Americans say they admire most in the world, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll published today.

• 32% of those questioned said Obama was the man they most admired compared with 5% for President George W Bush who came in second. Defeated Republican presidential candidate John McCain came in third with 3%.
• Hillary Clinton leads the list of most admired women with 20%, according to the poll. She has held this spot for 13 of the past 16 years, as first lady, then New York senator and now Obama's choice to be secretary of state.
• Alaska governor Sarah Palin, unknown in much of the US until she became the Republican party's vice presidential candidate in the November elections, was the second most admired woman with 11%. Television talk show host Oprah Winfrey is third with 8%.
• The only other time a president-elect has led the poll since Gallup began asking in 1948 was in 1952 when Dwight Eisenhower topped the list. Obama takes office January 20.
• The survey of 1,008 adults, taken by phone December 12-14, has an error margin of plus or minus 3%.