The debate started with questions about the administration’s handling of attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the deaths of four Americans:

As we expected, Ryan was well prepared for Biden’s attempts to invoke his middle-class background, and to make a convincing case for social insurance reforms:

Which meant that generational politics reared its head:

Ryan and Biden didn’t always stick to the facts:

But both men agreed that 2014 would be a good time to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan; Ryan somewhat more reluctantly:

Biden had some tough moments:

So did Ryan:

But Biden was far scrappier than Obama in his debate, hitting back against Romney and Ryan:

Like the first presidential debate, some important talks were left off the table.

The final verdict:

PRIMARY SOURCE: Read a transcript of the debate here.

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