The Biden-Ryan Debate

RYAN'S DEBUT:

This is the Wisconsin congressman's first time on the national debate stage. As House Budget Committee chairman, he's a whiz on federal spending and tax policy. His knowledge of foreign policy and national security isn't as deep. Watch to see whether his hours of practice result in polished and punchy - not wonky - answers.

BATTLE OF THE AGES:

It's youth vs. experience. At 42, Ryan is the same age as Biden's younger son. Ryan suggests the generational divide gives him an edge over 69-year-old Biden and wider appeal. But Biden's an energetic performer who prides himself on an ability to connect with regular folks.

 NUMBERS GAME:

Expect to hear lots about the House Republican budget plan written by Ryan. Biden's sure to criticize Ryan's spending cuts and Medicare proposal as too extreme. Even GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney has distanced himself from some of Ryan's more controversial ideas.

 THE MODERATOR:

Jim Lehrer's laid-back approach in the first presidential debate was widely panned. This time Martha Raddatz of ABC News runs the show. Look for her to ask sharper questions and more aggressively rein in the candidates. The veteran war correspondent has joked that it might be wise to wear body armor for the job.

"I think Paul Ryan will do great," Romney told supporters at a town hall meeting Wednesday in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

He said the debates offer people a rare chance to see the candidates directly, unfiltered by misleading and negative ads.

The GOP nominee said he'd seen some of the anti-Romney TV ads running in Ohio that morning, and added, "It's a good thing I don't do that very often because my blood pressure would be very high."
 

Ryan signaled he's ready for whatever Biden sends his way.

"I'm not intimidated, I'm actually excited about it," he said on CNN.

Obama, in a radio interview Wednesday with Tom Joyner, said he'd been "too polite" in his debate with Romney - a sure sign that Biden won't be going easy on Ryan. And that Obama won't make the same mistake in the next two presidential debates, on Tuesday in Hempstead, N.Y., and Oct. 22 in Boca Raton, Fla.

"We've got four weeks left in the election, and we're going to take it to him," Obama said.

Later, in an interview with "ABC World News," Obama minimized the importance of his poor first debate performance, saying: "Gov. Romney had a good night. I had a bad night. It's not the first time I've had a bad night."

He added, "What's important is the fundamentals of what this race is about haven't changed."

The president, who had tried to lower expectations for his own performance ahead of last week's debate, predicted in his radio interview that Biden would be "terrific."