In a Better World, Oprah Would Have Won

Cult of the Presidency alert: An annual survey sponsored by Gallup and USA Today reveals that the man Americans admire most is Barack H. Obama. Second place went to George W. Bush, who held the top spot for the last seven years. Presidential runner-up John McCain finished third.

Also depressing: America's most admired woman is Hillary Clinton, followed by Sarah Palin, followed—at last!—by someone outside of politics: the religious leader and literary detective Oprah Winfrey.

In related news, an unscientific survey in Russia says that the third most popular historical figure there is Stalin.