NORTH CONWAY, N.H. (AP) – While Hillary Rodham Clinton focused on vote-rich southern New Hampshire, her husband headed north Sunday to argue that only his wife has the experience to back up her vision for the country.

Former president Bill Clinton spoke to several hundred people at Kennett High School before heading to the state’s northernmost city, Berlin, where his wife kicked off her New Hampshire campaign nearly a year ago.

He said all three of the top candidates – his wife, Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards – are intelligent, articulate people who desperately want to change course. But he rejected Edwards’ argument that the results of Thursday’s Iowa caucus meant only Obama and Edwards could claim to represent change. Obama took first place with Edwards just edging Clinton for second.

“They want you to believe it’s change versus the status quo or change versus experience,” Bill Clinton said. “Hillary wants you to believe it’s words versus deeds, talk versus action, rhetoric versus reality. You have to decide who’s right.”

He compared how the three Democrats answered a question during Saturday night’s debate to illustrate his point. When asked to describe their accomplishments in the Senate, Edwards talked about a patient’s bill of rights that never passed and Obama cited a lobbying reform bill that the debate’s moderator suggested didn’t go far enough. Clinton described improving health care for children and members of the National Guard.

“There’s a different between talk and action. It makes a big difference if you’ve actually changed people’s lives, if it’s the work of your life,” Bill Clinton said.

“Words matter. Sen. Obama said that at the debate last night, and he was right. But they only want some words to be heard. You look at who’s spoken the most consistent words over the last 7, 8, 10 years,” he said.

In Berlin, the former president sought to boost hopes for the region’s ailing pulp and paper industry, saying his wife would promote biomass energy development as a way to reopen closed mills, create new jobs and tap into local timber resources.

Two days before Tuesday’s primary, Sen. Clinton is struggling to regain the lead she enjoyed for much of the long campaign. A CNN/WMUR poll released Saturday found Clinton and Obama tied at 33 percent.

each in the state, with Edwards trailing at 20 percent.

Bill Clinton said Sunday he never believed pundits who said his wife would coast easily to the nomination then face a tough time in the general election.

“I told Hillary a year ago that what is now happening would happen,” he said. “You’ll have more trouble getting nominated than winning the general election.”

AP-ES-01-06-08 1743EST