We're starting to switch gears to 2009, but last year was a big one and 2008 is hardly a distant memory at this point. A Gallup poll asked Americans who they admired most in 2008 [1] and the results are varied and interesting.

For the seventh year in a row, Hillary Clinton was ranked as the most admired woman, and Sarah Palin ousted second place incumbent Oprah Winfrey in the 2008 list. Barack Obama was voted the most admired man for the first time: In fact, Gallup notes that Obama is the first president-elect since Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 to top the list.

Most Admired Men, 2008 Admired Person Percent of Vote Barack Obama 32 percent George W. Bush 5 percent John McCain 3 percent Pope Benedict XVI 2 percent Rev. Billy Graham 2 percent Bill Clinton 2 percent Colin Powell 2 percent Nelson Mandela 1 percent Bill Gates 1 percent The Dalai Lama 1 percent

See the Most Admired Women of 2008 when you .

Most Admired Women, 2008 Admired Person Percent of Vote Hillary Clinton 20 percent Sarah Palin 11 percent Oprah Winfrey 8 percent Condoleezza Rice 7 percent Michelle Obama 3 percent Margaret Thatcher 2 percent Laura Bush 2 percent Angelina Jolie 2 percent Barbara Bush 1 percent Madeleine Albright 1 percent Ellen DeGeneres 1 percent

Source [2]