Clinton: Decision Between Experience and 'Pizzazz'

Jan.7, 2008 — -- In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Sen. Hillary Clinton, campaigning in New Hampshire, suggested Democratic voters have a choice between herself, a candidate with experience, and Sen. Barack Obama, a candidate with pizzazz.

"Obviously [voters] are trying to evaluate, do we go with something totally new, do we go with something that is familiar, something that is reliable but not as new?" Clinton told ABC News in a rare, exclusive interview in New Hampshire.

For more on ABC News' Kate Snow's exclusive, on-the-trail interview with Sen. Hillary Clinton, watch World News tonight

The New York senator is fighting for her political life in the Granite State, after a disappointing third-place finish in the Iowa caucus. Likening the choice facing voters to the choice she faced when her husband needed heart surgery, Clinton said she chose someone with experience over pizzazz.

"I would ask people ... think about having someone who is very precious to you who needs heart surgery. I went through that with Bill. We went with the most experienced heart surgeon we could find," Clinton said.

"Now there were some new people who were building their reputations who had a lot of pizzazz. But we went for somebody on their team who really had a track record," she said.

The senator attempted to squash the notion that Obama was the "change" candidate.

"I think that at the end of the day, I bring both change and experience," she said."By the very virtue of running for president as a woman I am a change agent. And then I can look back 35 years and point to so many examples where I've made change that has helped people."

Clinton tried to reconcile her argument that she is the "change" candidate with her frequent assertion that she is the candidate "ready to lead" on the first day of the presidency.

"The case that I am making is if you really want change, having someone with experience making change is really the best guarantee you'll get the change we want," she said.

"We have so many problems, and I think my combination of experience on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue will give a built-in advantage to be able to tackle those problems on day one.