Take a look at the results of Gallup's annual “most admired” poll. The top ten most-admired men include six U.S. political figures: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Glenn Beck, John McCain, and George H.W. Bush. 31 percent chose Obama or Clinton; the Bushes, Beck and McCain combined for 8 percent. Among women, 23 percent named Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama as their most-admired, while 17 percent named Sarah Palin or Condoleeza Rice.

That's a pretty convincing edge for the liberals across the two lists -- 54 to 25. (We're combining different questions here, so it isn't right to say “54 percent” or anything like that, but you get the point.)

Now look at the way USA Today reports these results:

President Obama is the man Americans admired most in 2009, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, while Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin are virtually tied as the most-admired woman.

The close finish by Clinton, named by 16% in the open-ended survey, and Palin, named by 15%, reflects the nation's partisan divide.

Liberals were named about twice as frequently as conservatives -- and so USA Today declares that the close finish by Clinton and Palin reflects the nation's partisan divide. Really? Why? Why doesn't the fact people were twice as likely to name a liberal their “most admired” person reflect the nation's dislike for conservative political figures?