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Friday, Dec 26, 2008 5:42 PM UTC

This just in: Americans like Obama

According to Gallup, Barack Obama enjoys a level of support not seen for a president-elect for more than half a century.

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Topics: War Room,

In a new USA Today/Gallup Poll, a sample of 1,008 Americans picked President-elect Barack Obama as the man they admire most. No president-elect has topped the poll since war hero Dwight Eisenhower 56 years ago.

Thirty-two percent of respondents picked Obama, while runner-up George Bush notched just 5 percent. In further parallels with 1952, that matches Harry Truman’s performance in the Gallup Poll. Bush has long had only Truman as company as the least-popular president in contemporary opinion polls. His ratings, which have languished in the 20s and 30s, are similar to those that Truman earned during his second term, as troops were bogged down in Korea. Bush’s numbers, however, have stayed lower, and for longer, than Truman’s.

Obama’s high numbers suggest that, in a time of national crisis, he may have the public goodwill to try to effect significant change. USA Today manages to find an expert who calls this historically high level of support a “two-edged sword.”

Meanwhile, in a sign of how bad things are for Republicans, the poll’s most admired woman is the runner-up in the Democratic primaries. Hillary Clinton garners 20 percent of the vote, while the GOP’s vice-presidential candidate, beloved of the base and already a 2012 contender, clocks just 11. But Sarah Palin does far better than the man who tapped her for the Republican ticket. Only 3 percent of respondents picked John McCain as most admired man.

 

Mark Schone

Mark Schone is Salon's executive news editor. More Mark Schone.

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Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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