The UK’s Daily Telegraph has published a list of the United States’ top 100 most influential liberals (see 1-20 here) and 100 most influential conservatives (see 1-20 here). There’s a lot to argue with — Mark Penn (#3) ranked more influential than Hillary Clinton (#4) herself? — but it’s a fascinating look at American politics through British eyes. Bill Clinton takes the number one spot on the left, and Rudy Giuliani on the right. Elizabeth Edwards (#19), but not her husband, appears in the liberal top-20, as does Michael Moore (#7), Kos (#12), and Arianna Huffington (#16). Arnold Schwarzenegger is ranked as a liberal, as well, at #8. The Congressional Dems who make the top-20 grade are Nancy Pelosi, Jim Webb, and Evan Bayh. Bayh’s there because of the assumption he’ll be Clinton’s running mate, which also explains Mike Huckabee‘s #11 ranking on the conservative list. This seems like a bit of a misreading of what makes an American politician powerful.

Check out the complete lists. Thoughts?

—Dana Goldstein

Dana Goldstein, a former associate editor and writer at the Prospect, comes from a family of public-school educators. She received the Spencer Fellowship in Education Journalism, a Schwarz Fellowship at the New America Foundation, and a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellowship at the Nation Institute. Her journalism is regularly featured in Slate, The Atlantic, The Nation, The Daily Beast, and other publications, and she is a staff writer at the Marshall Project.