By Brai Odion-Esene

WASHINGTON (MNI) – In a fiery exchange that was in stark contrast
to the first face-off between President Barack Obama and Republican
challenger Mitt Romney, their running mates battled Thursday night over
the policies needed to tackle the nation’s jobless crisis, deficits and
relations abroad.

Seeking to rebound from President Obama’s lackluster showing last
week, Vice President Joe Biden put in a combative performance,
aggressively going after his opponent — Congressman Paul Ryan — and
hounding him at every turn.

His efforts might go some way towards staunching the bleeding, but
there also is the risk his overly aggressive approach will turn off some
undecided voters.

Ryan put in an measured performance, although he appeared to be
more focused on avoiding any pitfalls as opposed to landing a knockout
punch, and stumbled occasionally.

While Ryan seemed less assured in answering questions on foreign
policy, the chair of the House Budget Committee held his own — at least
initially — when discussing matters of domestic policy.

Responding to a question on the economy, Biden said the
administration can and will get unemployment rate under 6%, but “I don’t
know how long it will take.”

Ryan countered: “We are heading in the wrong direction. This is not
what a real recovery looks like.” It was a phrase he would use multiple
times in the debate.

Obama’s policies are not working, Ryan said, while Romney is
offering solutions for every American.

“Mitt Romney and I will not duck the tough issues,” he declared.

He said when Obama was elected, the Democratic party controlled
both chambers of Congress, and could implement any policies they wanted.
“And look where we are right now.”

One of the most heated exchanges during the debate occurred during
the portion focusing on taxes, especially regarding the future of the
Bush-era tax cuts.

Biden said he does not see any “economic justification” for
continuing the tax cut for the wealthiest Americans. “There is no need
for this,” he argued.

He accused Republicans in Congress of holding the middle class tax
cuts hostage because they also want tax cuts for those in the upper
income bracket.

The middle class was “crushed” by the recession, Biden said, and
they are the ones that need help.

On the subject of entitlement reform, Ryan said the goal will be to
save Medicare and Medicaid, not jeopardize it.

The “indisputable facts,” he said, are that Medicare and Medicaid
are going bankrupt.

Biden said previous bipartisan efforts extended the life of those
entitlements, and warned the Romney plan would force seniors to pay more
out of pocket for coverage.

Biden touted the accomplishments of the Affordable Care Act, and
said the bill put forward by Ryan and passed by the House would
“eliminate the guarantee of Medicare.”

“The idea of changing … without taking other action to make it
work is absolutely the wrong way,” he said.

In area of foreign policy, Ryan accused the White House of
weakening the country’s standing abroad and of being lax in its handling
of Iran.

“We cannot allow Iran to gain nuclear weapons capability,” Ryan
said, and accused the Obama administration of being inconsistent.

“They are moving faster towards a nuclear weapon,” he said, because
the government has no credibility on the issue.

Biden declared confidently, however, that if the situation arose
where action was required, “we feel quite confident we can deal a
serious blow to the Iranians.”

For now, “they are a good way away” from that point, Biden said,
and stressed, “There is no weapon that the Iranians have at this point.”

He noted that because of the U.S. led sanctions, supported by the
international community, the Iran economy is in free-fall, with the
world united against them. Iran, Biden said, “is totally isolated.”

“If we ever have to take action … we will have the world behind
us,” he added.

Ryan insisted that a nuclear-armed Iran is worse than another war
in the Middle East. If Iran gets nuclear weapon, he predicted other
countries in the region will follow suit.

“We can’t live with that,” he warned.

** MNI Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 **

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