To follow up on a previous post where I highlighted the most hated figures on the right, here is John Hawkins of Right Wing News revealing who 44 of the 260 right-of-center blogs that responded thought were the most beloved figures on the right.

23) Michele Bachmann (4)
23) Glenn Beck (4)
23) Pat Buchanan (4)
23) Victor Davis Hanson (4)
23) Charles Krauthammer (4)
23) Dennis Prager (4)
23) John Roberts (4)
20) Dick Cheney (5)
20) Mark Levin (5)
20) Clarence Thomas (5)
19) Paul Ryan (6)
15) Tom Coburn (7)
15) Laura Ingraham (7)
15) Sean Hannity (7)
15) Mike Pence (7)
12) Jeff Flake (8)
12) Jonah Goldberg (8)
12) Antonin Scalia (8)
11) Jim DeMint (10)
9) Ann Coulter (11)
9) Thomas Sowell (11)
7) Michael Steele (12)
7) Michelle Malkin (12)
6) Mark Steyn (13)
5) Newt Gingrich (17)
4) Fred Thompson (18)
3) Bobby Jindal (22)
2) Rush Limbaugh (29)
1) Sarah Palin (33)

Sarah Palin’s #1 ranking would seem to me to be a backlash to the minority of conservatives who have reacted so negatively to her, I don’t see how she is the legitimate champion of the right at this early stage in her career. Nor do I see for that matter what justifies Governor Jindal’s #3 ranking. I like the guy, but give him some time. We seem so desperately to want a strong new leader we are taking our best rookies off the scout team and throwing them into the game. Let’s build some depth first.

I am pleasantly surprised to see Rush at #2, for all the hate he gets from both the left and the right this is one intellectually consistent all-around conservative. If there were one figure who best encapsulated the entirety of the conservative movement it would be Rush Limbaugh.

My pick for most liked conservative is not on the list (just like my pick for least liked conservative, Karl Rove, wasn’t on the most hated list). Mark Sanford, the governor of South Carolina easily wins it from my perspective and is officially my most liked conservative. Depending on what transpires in the next two years I believe we will see him make a strong run for the presidency in 2012. No one on the national stage offers more promise in the coming years for conservatives than Mark Sanford.

In my previous post I mentioned that Karl Rove had earned my vote for most hated figure on the right since the “architect” was behind the current political debacle we now find ourself in. I even wondered aloud why anyone listened to him. Well Academic Elephant at Redstate must have heard me because he has written a defense of Rove.

Karl Rove has done this. (in the issue of Newsweek that also features Redstate,yeah!). I find myself pretty much in agreement with his points, and thinking that I preferred 2000, 2002 and 2004 to the last two rounds. I know everything ever associate with the current President is supposed to be anathema, but I have to wonder if we have anyone better at managing and organizing and motivating at the grass-roots level.

Best to nip this kind of thinking in the bud lest we let that old camel elephant get its nose trunk back in the tent.