"I think McCain is very much in the same mode as George Bush," she says.

Voters view McCain as better able to succeed in the Iraq war, by a margin of 43 percent to 36 percent. Almost one-third of registered voters say they had no confidence in the ability of Obama, a first-term senator, to deal wisely with an international crisis, compared with 19 percent who say the same for McCain.

Carl Banther, 72, a Republican poll respondent from Beecher, Ill.inois, says the war and national security are major factors in his choice of candidate.

"McCain's much more in tune with where I'm at," says Banther, a retired maintenance manager. "Obama thinks we ought to get out" of Iraq. "I don't think we can do it."

McCain leads Obama by almost a 2-to-1 margin on which candidate would better protect the country from terrorism. Only one-quarter of voters say Obama would do best at keeping the U.S. safe.

"I don't think Obama has any real experience," says poll respondent John Wolf, 74, a Republican from Belvidere, Illinois. "Our country right now is somewhat going in the wrong direction, and I don't think we can get there by rhetoric."

Obama also is viewed as less patriotic than McCain. More than eight out of 10 voters say McCain's patriotism is strong, compared with just 55 percent for Obama.

On the issue of race, more than seven in 10 respondents say the country is ready to elect a black president. Among independent voters, a swing bloc being courted intensely by both candidates, 77 percent say the country is ready; Democrats agree in about the same numbers while about two-thirds of Republicans concur. Almost one-fifth of voters say the country isn't ready.

"People are really just looking to elect the best leader and not based on color but on their beliefs," says poll respondent Gary Wentz, a Democrat in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. The 41-year-old letter carrier says he plans to vote for Obama.

To be sure, about one-third of voters say that "only some people" they know would be comfortable voting for a black presidential candidate. In a race that includes minor-party candidates, McCain leads Obama among white voters 47 percent to 36 percent.

Overall, McCain has a slight edge on the question of honesty and integrity, while more than three times as many voters say Obama would change the way things are done in Washington.