Robert Gates rated more positively than Hillary Clinton

A recent survey by the Harris Poll finds that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary Clinton are by leaps and bounds the most popular members of President Obama’s cabinet. But you Hillary fans out there might not like it that Clinton came in No. 2 to Gates.

The online survey of 2,401 U.S. adults — conducted April 13 to 21 and statistically adjusted for demographic factors such as age, race, and income — found that 68 percent of those familiar with Gates gave him a positive rating, while 62 percent of those familiar with Clinton gave her a positive rating. However, 56 percent of respondents reported not feeling familiar enough with Gates to rate him (the information I have doesn’t list the corresponding figure for Clinton, but it’s probably safe to assume that a smaller percentage reported being unfamiliar with Clinton).

It should be noted that unlike the “barely civil” relationship that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had with Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice during the Bush administration, the relationship between Gates and Clinton is reported to be going quite well. “I couldn’t agree with you more,” Gates said multiple times to Clinton as she spoke at a Senate hearing last week.

Even a Republican complimented Gates and Clinton’s relationship. “It’s nice to see the relationship the two of you have built, and I’m very pleased with what you’re doing,” Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) told them last week.

Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images