11) John McCain: When Republicans in the Senate surprise people by teaming up with the Democrats to jam a thumb into the eye of conservatives on some key issue -- 9 times out of 10, McCain is the one leading the charge. That makes him a very influential man -- not influential in a good way, but influential.

10) James Dobson: The Christian conservative movement in the GOP has fragmented in the last decade or so and Dobson, who has alienated a lot of conservatives this year by threatening to form a third party in 2008, is the most powerful leader of the socially conservative wing of the party.

9) Mitch McConnell: His performance as the GOP's leader in the Senate has been head and shoulders above that of his predecessor Bill Frist, but McConnell still hasn't quite managed to get himself in tune with the base on immigration and spending issues.

8) Bill O'Reilly: His unique mixture of populism and social conservatism has enabled him to pull in more than 3 million listeners a week on the radio, write best selling books, and host the most-watched program on cable news. That last part is particularly important, given the lock that liberals have had when it comes to news on TV.

7) Dick Cheney: Cheney, who has been a solid conservative influence in the White House, is the single most powerful Vice President in living memory.

6) John Boehner: He wasn't viewed as an agent of change when he was elected as Minority Leader in the House, but he has done an outstanding job of steering Republicans in the House to the right since the GOP's crushing loss in 2006.

5) John Roberts: He isn't the only originalist on the Court and he doesn't have the flair of Antonin Scalia or the conservative record of Clarence Thomas, but after only a short time on the job, he is putting his own indelible stamp on the Court with his exceptional leadership style as Chief Justice.

4) Sean Hannity: Even though his talk show wasn't syndicated nationally until late 2001, Sean Hannity has already garnered 12.5 million listeners a week, is half of the 2nd hottest show on the cable news networks, and has put out two best-selling books. Few people, if any, have risen further, faster, within the conservative movement.

3) Rush Limbaugh: The Doctor of Democracy has 13.5 million listeners a week on his radio program and many of them have been availing themselves of his wisdom daily, for years. You ever heard the phrase, "You can't fight city hall?" Well, Rush Limbaugh went head-to-head with Harry Reid and 41 Democratic senators who smeared him and not only did he win the fight, he humiliated them in the process.

2) Matt Drudge: His website, the Drudge Report, generates more than 10 million impressions per day and more importantly, sets the agenda for much of the rest of the media. If Matt Drudge puts a story at the top of his website, it instantly becomes a hot story in the mainstream media, talk radio, and the blogosphere. More than anyone else in the media, Drudge determines whether a story is hot or not.

1) George W. Bush: Granted, he's a lame duck President with low approval ratings and mediocre communication skills -- but for good or ill, George Bush shapes many of the political debates we have in this country. Whether you're talking about illegal immigration, deficit spending, foreign policy, or Campaign 2008, George Bush's policies are right at the heart of the discussion.