CONCORD [-] Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said primary rival Hillary Clinton’s stand on preserving Social Security amounts to “political doubletalk’’ and voters don’t view it as a lasting solution

    Clinton has said the first priority is to stop borrowing from Social Security to balance the federal budget. Beyond that, Clinton says all options are on the table to deal with the explosion of Baby Boomer generation who began retiring earlier this month.

  “I think what most Americans want is they are tired of politician doubletalk and they know it’s a serious issue,’’ Edwards told reporters.

    “When a politician says they aren’t going to change anything and keep all options on the table, number one I don’t think most believe it, that it will solve the problem, and second, this is what they have been hearing for decades now.

   “The question is who is going to lead now?’’

    Over the weekend, Democratic primary rival Barack Obama and Edwards both criticized Clinton on the matter while campaigning in Iowa.

    Currently, only the first $97,000 of federal income is taxed under Social Security. Edwards and Obama would levy the tax on all income above $200,000 annually to shore up the system.

    Edwards signed up for his name to appear on New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary ballot today and warned his party could lose the 2008 election if they choose a political establishment nominee.

  “If we want to continue the success we saw in 2006, it will have to be a change candidate.  If it’s not, it’s an establishment, status quo candidate, we are going backwards, not forward and there is a very good chance the American people will reject us,’’ Edwards said.

    The former North Carolina Senator Edwards ran in 2004 and finished fourth in New Hampshire’s primary. Nominee John Kerry picked Edwards as his running mate.