Generally, heads of states' are much more powerful than CEO's. President Obama and Jintao are unequivocally the most powerful people in the world. However, President Jintao could even challenge President Obama's post as number one because not only being the leader of a Communist nation rooted in singular power, but he is the leader of the most populous nation, yet President Obama commands the most power military force in the world. So, President Obama still receives number one.

In a semi-presidential system, not sure why Vladimir Putin is ranked as high as third because as a prime minister, he only serves as a administrative role with no real power whereas Russia's supreme executive powers are vested in the President of Russia. Therefore, Ben Bernanke should be number three because economically, he is the most powerful man; he is the chairman of the Federal Reserve, the most powerful bank in the world. He sets monetary policy, which controls money supply and interest rates. Timothy Geithner should be ranked higher than Hilliary Clinton. Geithner oversees taxpayer money while I respect Hilliary, the Secretary of the State is a tool for the President because ultimately he makes the most critical foreign policy decisions.

Albeit Google is a major force in the computer industry, Brin and Page should be outside the top 10. Top 5 may be a little extreme.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett were robbed of one or two spots due to the fact that they are the richest men in the world, but richest doesn't always mean most powerful. Besides I may be impartial to them. I red Bill Gates' book At the Speed of Business and Warren Buffet's book Snowball.

It makes me cringed at the thought that Pope Benefit is the 11th most powerful person in the world although he does tell 1.2 billion Catholics how to live their lives.

Lastly, it is surprising that Prime Minister Brown was absent from the list although understandable considering that the UK is increasingly becoming an impotent regional power economically and militarily.