The man May/Might be intelligent, but his Ignorance is scary to most folks over, say, 55 and recall the 70s as adults.....
I think McCain’s advantage will those same voters you mentioned....over 55. Our younger generations have no clue what hardship is, and how America has dealt with foreign challenges in the past. The wars we have witnessed have been guided by technology, and most have been over in days or weeks. The Iraq war, despite it’s problems, is historically one of the most successful wars in history with low casualty rates and rapid success in taking over a foreign country of significant size.
Older voters saw the cold war, saw Vietnam, and have witnessed pure evil. They see Obama as a lightweight amateur who has absolutely no clue on foreign policy. Those views are not likely to change with those voters.
Lets just face it. He is as dumb as a post and just as stupid as the people who vote for him.