Best Open Source CMS for SEO?

Is there a preference out there for CMS in terms of SEO performance? In your opinion, how much does a site's visual theme within a CMS framework affect bottom-line cash-in-pocket performance?

Wordpress ofc!

While Wordpress is the leading open source CMS and attracts the best plugin developers with multiple SEO plugins available and competing you are still at the mercy of some themes. It really depends on a theme per theme basis with some themes embracing SEO, for example Thesis, and other popular theme makers not, for example Elegant Themes.

I would have a quick Google before using a theme and see the opinions of previous users. Themename+seo should get you sorted.

I spent a lot of time with Joomla in the past and I found it up to the task but the past 3 years I would say that I have exclusively used Wordpress and cannot honestly comment on other CMS's.

I also was not only considering how well a theme illustrates SEO content, but how well it looks to end users. Is it really important to have a dressed-up theme for SEO?

prefer to wordpress

The final answer will be Wordpress Period

again, +1 for wordpress:
> because you've got plenty of good SEO plugins
> because google likes WP
> because the support and security is excellent
> because WP looks very well

No hesitations!

Because everyone is delightfully ignoring the second half of my question, I'm going to assume that a kickass layout is what is needed for good SEO practice.

Unfortunately, as a writer I excel, but as a graphic designer I suck hard. Well, I will find a way to deal with this short of finding a reasonable theme.