YOU MEAN, CHARLIE BLACK ACTUALLY KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT?:

McCain Tops Obama in Commander-in-Chief Test; Stays Competitive on Iraq (GARY LANGER, July 14, 2008, ABC News)

One reason McCain can push back on Iraq is his advantage as commander-in-chief — a striking one, albeit perhaps not surprising given his military background. Seventy-two percent of Americans — even most Democrats — say he'd be a good commander-in-chief of the military.

By contrast, fewer than half, 48 percent, say Obama would be a good commander-in-chief, a significant weakness on this measure. (McCain's rating is much improved from his unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, when 56 percent said he'd be a good commander-in-chief — no more than said so, at the time, about George W. Bush.)