It also had a superb moderator, Martha Raddatz, holding the ring
between them covering a range of subjects from taxation to Iran, from
abortion to Afghanistan. Most politically committed people will claim their man won and the argument can be made both ways.

He was stronger, more aggressive, more certain of his
position - but chuckled, laughed, smiled, grinned at his opponent, in a
way that was certainly condescending and that some will have found
irritating. Paul Ryan, for someone with no foreign policy experience, put
on a good show but was unable to answer some tough questions,
particularly on Afghanistan and Syria.

He couldn't say what he would do differently in Syria, what
would cause troops to stay in Afghanistan or indeed what tax loopholes
he would close.

The debate on unemployment and taxation was generally much
more evenly matched. Mr Ryan has been painted as a bogeyman by Democrats
but came across generally as serious and likeable.

The Beltway crowd persist in seeing Mr Biden as a clown. He might have laughed too much but the man on stage was no fool.This debate probably won't change much - the ball is still very much in Mr Obama's court next week.