Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State, is the country's most admired woman for the ninth year in a row, according to a new Gallup poll.
President Barack Obama is the most admired man in the nation, for the third year running.
South African statesman Nelson Mandela was the fourth-most admired man, followed by Microsoft's Bill Gates in fifth place.
Catholic Pope Benedict XVI, evangelist Billy Graham, former president Jimmy Carter, conservative TV commentator Glenn Beck and the Dalai Lama, the Buddhist spiritual leader, rounded out the Top 10.
"It's all about power," Richard Slotkin, professor emeritus of American studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, told USA Today. "When we think of importance, we think politically, that's really clear -- with religion a close second, though Bill Gates beats out Pope Benedict. It's almost like a register of power."
Others who made the top ten include George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama and the Dalai Lama.
Lydia Saad, who's with Gallup, says over the years "sitting presidents have dominated Gallup's Most Admired Man poll..."
She notes Obama's numbers have trailed off since 2008, when 32 percent of voters named him their first choice.
This year 22 percent of voters named him the man they admire the most.
