According to Hatalsky, while Bush was “too hot” and Obama was “too cool,” the swing voters seemed to think Clinton was “just right.” It turns out that the former secretary of State has her own brand on national security not synonymous with the Democratic brand. Participants described her as “more experienced,” “quicker to make decisions” and more confident than Obama. And compared with Democrats overall, Clinton is viewed as more hawkish and authoritative.

This won’t stop Republicans from insisting Clinton lacks foreign policy credentials because of what they view as her lackluster term at the State Department. The GOP should be careful: In a world where a former secretary of State lacks the requisite foreign policy experience to lead the country, no one in the GOP field is qualified to be president.