Ryan, Biden set to clash
The US vice presidential candidates face each other in debate yesterday, with Democrats itching for revenge after Mitt Romney's drubbing of President Barack Obama tightened the White House race.
After Obama's lackluster performance last week, Vice President Joe Biden, 69, was expected to mount a full-throated attack against the surging Romney ticket while striving to avoid the gaffes the veteran politician is famous for.
He will face the much younger Representative Paul Ryan, 42, a fiscal policy wonk whose controversial government-slashing budget made him a hero among conservatives but who has never debated on a national stage.
The vice presidential debate is usually something of a sideshow in the race, but this year all eyes will be on Danville, Kentucky to see whether Biden can stem Romney's sharp rise in the polls over recent days.
Obama tried to steady panicking supporters Wednesday, insisting he would win re-election despite last week's debate defeat and admitting that he had had a "bad night" and had been "too polite" to Romney.
"I got this," Obama said in a radio interview, predicting that Democratic "hand wringing" over his limp performance would fade as a memory after his next clash with Romney on Tuesday.
Recent polls show an unsettled race, with some national polls -- like Gallup's daily tracking survey which had Romney and Obama tied at 48 percent -- suggesting Romney's debate bounce was subsiding.
There was movement towards Romney in state surveys that had the race in battlegrounds like Nevada, Florida, Nevada and Ohio within a few points.
The debate at Kentucky's Centre College will be moderated by ABC News correspondent Martha Raddatz and will begin at 9:00pm EST (0100 GMT Friday).
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