Republicans more sexually active than Democrats? Who'd have thought? This should come as good news for a party that has lost the House and the Senate, is precariously close to losing the White House to a woman as popular as cholera in some circles and is laden with leaders who can no longer be trusted to visit airport men's rooms or interact with students in the congressional page program. From Manhattan to Malibu, these are the worst of times for America's Republicans. Yet something must be going right for GOP devotees. A resounding 36 percent are "very satisfied" with life overall, compared with just 23 percent of Democrats and 23 percent of independents. In fact, Republicans are among the most satisfied segments of the American population. Could the explanation lie between the sheets? Our poll shows that 55 percent of Republicans -- yes, the party of the religious right -- have sex at least once a week, compared with just 43 percent of Democrats. In addition, Republicans are more satisfied with their sex life than Democrats are. No longer does the most significant difference between the parties have to do with what people believe but rather how often they act.

Sexual conservatives, take note: The people who are most satisfied with their sex life are most likely to call themselves sexually adventurous. While the phrase It's time for a change may be most often applied to politics, it also has important uses in the bedroom. And it is spoken equally by Republicans and Democrats -- and by women almost as often as men. And speaking of women...

25% of Obama supporters say the sexiest part of the female body is the butt. Only 14% of Giuliani and 11% of Clinton supporters agree.

Obviously sex appeal never hurts a candidate. Some say John and Bobby Kennedy, Bill Clinton and, this year, John Edwards and Barack Obama owe their popularity to an appeal far more basic than their positions on nuclear nonproliferation. No woman at the center of public life has been able to strike a chord in quite the same way. Based on our survey, Michelle Obama has the most sex appeal. She's the top choice overall, as well as among Democrats and women. In second place is Condoleezza Rice, who owes her strong finish to men older than 50, married men and voters from the South. A close third is first lady Laura Bush, the primary pick among Republicans. (There's something to be said for the retiring, well-read librarian type.) And what about the former first lady? Though Hillary Clinton has sexual cachet among Democrats -- she finishes number two after Michelle Obama -- she comes in a distant fourth overall.

At the end of the day significant differences on major issues remain. From Iraq to immigration, we are a highly polarized and very argumentative nation. But in how we live our life, what we want for the future and what we do behind closed bedroom doors, we're all a lot more alike than you may think. The PLAYBOY Politics of Sex poll proves the disparity is far smaller than our perception of it. The lines between black and white are becoming gray as fast as the lines between red and blue are turning purple.