Clinton on Clinton: exerience counts

CONCORD, N.H., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Former President Bill Clinton said in New Hampshire his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, is the presidential contender best prepared to "deal with the unexpected."

"You have to have a leader who is strong and commanding and convincing enough … to deal with the unexpected," Clinton told supporters in Plymouth, N.H., The Washington Post reported Sunday.

Citing Osama bin Laden and Hurricane Katrina, Clinton told an audience in Nashua Saturday there was "a better than 50 percent chance" of a catastrophe striking during the first 18 months of a new presidency, the Post said.

"And I think, on this score, she's the best of all," the former president said.

The Clinton campaign is honing in on the issue of experience in the final days before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, the Post noted.

Democratic rival John Edwards' campaign compared Clinton's rhetoric to President George Bush's 2004 campaign and said voters "will not be fooled by efforts to play on their fears," the Post said.