On the stump

The presidential candidates descended yesterday on New Hampshire, whose Tuesday primary is their next big test

Here's a quick summary of the leading candidates' messages on the campaign trail:

DEMOCRATS

Hillary Clinton
Messages: Ready on day one for anything, even a repeat of 9/11; the most electable.
In Nashua: "Of all the people running for president, I've been the most vetted, the most investigated, and my goodness, the most innocent it turns out." - MARCELLA BOMBARDIERI

John Edwards
Messages: Crusading for working people and against corporate greed; the everyman candidate.
In Manchester: "I am the candidate who will fight with every fiber of my being, every single step of the way, for you, for your children, and for your grandchildren." - BRYAN BENDER

Barack Obama
Messages: Bringing people together; ready for Clinton attacks.
In Concord: "If you know who you are, if you know what you believe in, if you know your principles, if you know what you are fighting for, then you can reach out to those you don't agree with. If they are Republicans and independents who are working with me, that makes us stronger." - SASHA ISSENBERG

REPUBLICANS

Rudy Giuliani
Messages: Tough on terrorism; tested as a leader; running a national campaign.
In Salem: "Nobody is going to win all these primaries. It's who is going to win the most. Right now we are ahead in more states than anyone." - BRYAN BENDER

Mike Huckabee
Messages: Can have fun, takes presidency seriously; strong message trumps a campaign war chest.
In Henniker: "In New Hampshire, it is not just about how much money a candidate has raised. It is about what kind of future will be raised for the next generation." - MICHAEL KRANISH

John McCain
Messages: Most prepared on national security; a reformer in Washington.
In South Nashua: "I'm most proud of the change I brought about in Iraq that saved American lives. No one else was ready to make that kind of reform. I'm proud to stand here as a person who has reformed and reformed and reformed." - BRYAN BENDER

Mitt Romney
Messages: Wants to finish in top two, bring change to Washington.
In Portsmouth: "There are some people who are going to try to convince the voters of New Hampshire and other states that all we need to do to change Washington is have the same people go there but just change chairs. That's not our idea. No, what we're going to do to change Washington is to bring someone in - I'm talking about me - to bring to Washington the kind of can-do change experience that I've had everywhere I've been." - MICHAEL LEVENSON