cachet - cah-SHAY - state of being respected or admired
Example: "News analyst Daniel Schorr feared that the massively orchestrated campaign against Obama's health plan could undermine the president's cachet with the general public."
As a starter: and as a former teacher in English, I hope to add to reader's vocabulary by presenting a word a day in simple terms that anyone can understand - from current use in publications, radio,TV, etc. Remember: use a new word three times in a day and it's yours forever!