Poll: Palin, Bush, Rice, Beck Are the Most Admired Republicans

Gallup’s annual, open-ended poll of the “most admired” Americans finds President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on top. Obama, whom 30 percent of respondents named first, easily wins out among men, but Clinton, at 16 percent, is only one point ahead of Sarah Palin.

It’s a reflection of the “partisan divide,” according to USA Today. And it’s also a reminder of the task ahead for Republicans who think Palin is an unelectable national candidate, despite the best effort of Palin allies to convince them that her bad poll numbers are actually good poll numbers upside down. No one else who’s tipped as a potential 2012 candidate comes close. Former President George W. Bush, at 4 percent, is the next “most-admired” member of the GOP. Tied at 2 percent are former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and talk show host Glenn Beck. Not registering: Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, or frequent Politico columnist Dick Cheney.