(CNSNews.com) - Americans say Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the presumed Republican presidential nominee, would be a better commander-in-chief than the Democratic candidates: Sens. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) or Barack Obama (Ill.), according to a new poll.

The poll by the Everett Group found that 51 percent of Americans think McCain would be a better commander-in-chief than Clinton, at 32 percent. When asked about Obama and McCain, the survey found that 53 percent favored McCain while 35 percent viewed Obama as a better commander-in-chief.

"A commander-in-chief has to keep America strong at home and around the world, but John McCain seems intent on proving he's the wrong person for the job," said Karen Finney, communications director for the Democratic National Committee.

"In the coming months, the American people will get to know the real John McCain, the 3rd Bush-termer who has not put forward a plan on Iraq other than to say he's willing to keep troops there for 100 years, the McCain that time and time again has gotten the facts on the ground wrong, the McCain who can't say how he would continue to pay for the war or how he would restore balance to America's military and national guard forces," she told Cybercast News Service.

Bernard Finel, a senior fellow with the liberal-leaning American Security Project, said that while the results are not surprising because polls have shown McCain consistently strong on the war on terror, "he hasn't really been challenged by anyone on national security at this juncture."

"I think those numbers will drop off once he gets a direct head-to-head challenge from one of the Democratic candidates," Finel said.

Finel added that it's "hard to disentangle it from other issues."

"Even though people say they trust him more on national security or on terrorism issues, the same polls will show people are favoring Obama or Clinton against him in national polls," he told Cybercast News Service.

Finel noted that the majority of Americans see the economy as the biggest issue in this next election.

"While voters have some broad sense of Senator McCain's personal history, they readily acknowledge that they know little about his positions and record on the issues they care about the most-especially the economy and health care," Finney wrote in a memo.

"When voters hear what Senator McCain has said and done on those issues, they see someone who has a backward looking approach and who is badly out of touch with the realities average people face in their lives today," Finney added.

"No one can be totally prepared for the presidency," Bob Maginnis, a Defense Department analyst, wrote in an op-ed in Human Events.

"Arguably the president's most important role is that of commander-in-chief and Sen. John McCain has demonstrated a treasure chest full of characteristics, experiences and well-considered proposals that suit the position and time," he said.

Maginnis also refuted the DNC's claims that McCain would continue the Bush administration's policies. "McCain promises a number of significant changes," he said.

"He will not limit the counterterrorism efforts to stateless groups operating in safe havens," said Maginnis. "He points out that Iran, the 'world's chief state sponsor of terrorism,' continues its quest for nuclear weapons. He fears an Iran protected by a nuclear arsenal would be even more willing and able to sponsor terrorist attacks."

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