Fiery Biden sets stage for Obama recovery attempt

Momentum shifts

Biden's strong debate performance gave Obama a chance to stabilize his campaign after a bad week and deliver his own vigorous argument for why he deserves a second term in the White House.

A good showing at the presidential debate set for Tuesday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, could give Obama a chance to halt Romney's rise since the two went head-to-head in Denver on ober 3.

Fresh off that performance, Romney grabbed a small lead in many national opinion polls, reversing what had been a small but growing advantage for Obama since the Democratic convention in early September.

Obama was to travel to Williamsburg, Virginia, on Saturday to spend three days getting ready for the next debate. After his Virginia rally, Romney traveled to the Ohio rally with Ryan.

US Vice-President Joe Biden (L) makes a point in front of Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan and moderator Martha Raddatz (C) during the vice presidential debate in Danville, Kentucky, Oct 11, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Democrats said they expected Obama to come out swinging during the town-hall style contest on Tuesday.

"The president watched the debate last night, thought the vice-president did an excellent job presenting this administration's case," said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, formerly Biden's chief spokesman.

"I'm confident he (Obama) will make that case when he has the opportunity to go before the American people again in a debate next week," Carney told the daily White House briefing.

Carney said Biden's laughter on Thursday night was a sign of the "enormous amount of passion and joy" he brings to his position as vice-president.

Biden, 69, scored points against Ryan, a 42-year-old congressman, with a fiery delivery that highlighted his experience in foreign policy and hit hard on domestic issues.

Ryan largely met his challenge of trying to show he was knowledgeable and presidential - and that Romney had not made a mistake in choosing him as his running mate.

The two campaigns both claimed victory.

Biden sharply questioned many of the Romney-Ryan team's positions, hitting Ryan hard on issues that Obama had frustrated his supporters by failing to contest in the first presidential debate.

Biden pounced upon Romney's tax returns, the Republican's position to let US automakers go bankrupt, his proposal to let struggling homeowners lose their houses and his dismissal of 47 percent of the American public as unproductive parasites.

The third and final presidential debate will take place on Oct 22 in Florida.