A Matter of Taste

Kiko's House would be remiss if it let 2005 recede without tapping into that mother lode of American taste (sic) -- Gallup's annual poll on the most admired man and woman.

Not surprisingly, President Bush is the runaway winner as the most admired man for the fifth straight year.

Only slightly less surprisingly, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the most admired woman for the fourth straight year, edging out talk-show host Oprah Winfrey and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Clinton has been most admired woman 10 times since 1993. Billy Graham finished among the top 10 most admired men for a record 49th time.

Gallup's Dec. 19-22 poll asked Americans to name, without prompting, the man and woman, living anywhere in the world, whom they admire most.

Nineteen percent of Americans named Bush as the most admired man. Former president Clinton, with 5 percent, and former president Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI, and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates (with 3 percent each) round out the top five. The remainder of the top 10 includes Graham, former South African President Nelson Mandela, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Dalai Lama, Arizona Sen. John McCain, and rock singer Bono.

Over on the, er . . . distaff side, Hillary Clinton was mentioned by 13 percent of respondents, compared with 12 percent for Winfrey and 10 percent for Rice. (Last year, Clinton was mentioned by 13 percent, Winfrey by 11 percent and Rice by 7 percent.

The remainder of the top 10 for women includes first lady Laura Bush, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, actress Angelina Jolie, writer Maya Angelou, businesswoman and television personality Martha Stewart, North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and television journalist Barbara Walters.

What to make of all of this?

Not a whole heck of a lot since there were no surprises to speak of, but it should be noted the admirability and electability should not be confused.

Are you listening, Hillary?