Is Hillary Clinton more popular than the president?

Is former presidential primary foe and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton more popular than her boss?

A new Gallup poll -- conducted before last week's Nobel prize announcement -- says so: More than 60 percent of surveyed voters said they viewed Clinton favorably, compared to the 58 percent of respondents who said the same of President Barack Obama.

For Clinton, Thursday's number spells some good news: It is just below her all-time high of 67 percent favorability, which Gallup polled in December 1998. For Obama, however, the numbers are slightly more disappointing: Thursday's data means his favorability rating has dropped more than 20 points since Gallup started measuring it in January.

Of course, the pollster's latest finding probably means very little. Obama, as president, is subject to considerably more attention and scrutiny than Clinton, which means his ratings fluctuate more. Moreover, the questions were posed separately -- voters were not asked who they preferred more.

And, perhaps most importantly: Clinton has made explicitly clear this week she has no intention of running for the presidency again.