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To follow up on the "experience" debate, Democrats should probably take the findings of this poll pretty seriously:
Both Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have made ending the war a centerpiece of their campaigns. But in hypothetical matchups against either Democratic senator, about half of voters polled said McCain, a Vietnam veteran, was best able to deal with the war. Just over a third of voters polled favored the Democratic candidates on that issue.Overall, McCain would beat Clinton 46% to 40% and Obama 44% to 42%. His lead over Obama is within the poll's three-point margin of error.The Arizona senator also scored higher marks than Clinton or Obama for experience and strength. On the issue of "honesty and integrity," he beat Clinton and was tied by Obama. McCain is viewed favorably by 61% of all registered voters, including a plurality of Democrats.And the survey showed McCain's advantages extend even to some domestic issues. On the economy, a subject that McCain has joked about his own lack of expertise, voters picked him over Democratic front-runner Obama as best able to lead by an 8-point margin -- 42% to 34%.Now, it may be, that in the general, the Democrat can convince voters that McCain is experienced, sure, but he's also wrong. That his experience is serving a problematic policy agenda. Obama, it seems to me, is best placed to do that, as he actually voted against the Iraq War, and can argue for a more distinct break with McCain's policies. But no matter who the nominee is, it's going to be a tough fight. McCain starts out with some real advantages.
