Join the conversation as the candidates square off and watch it live
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5:45 PM PT: Welcome to the party! Looking forward to the debate tonight? Starts in just under 15 minutes.
5:46 PM PT: In case you missed this from earlier today, here's President Obama mocking Mitt Romney for trying to convince people he was "severely kidding" about being "severely conservative":
Fun clip.
5:48 PM PT: Also in case you missed it: boy-genius wonkstar Paul Ryan is insisting on being called Mister Ryan in tonight's debate. Apparently he doesn't want to remind people he's a Congressman. Even though that's the only real job he's ever had. If you can call it real. If I'm Joe Biden, at a minimum, I mock him for this.
5:50 PM PT: Hahahaha!
Yeah, like it doesn't have anything at all to do with Congress having an approval rating somewhere south of NFL replacement refs in Wisconsin.
5:55 PM PT: I'm watching MSNBC tonight but if Biden bombs, I'm changing the channel. I don't think I can handle another full-on MSNBC meltdown like last week.
6:02 PM PT: And here we go. Martha Raddatz is kicking things off.
6:02 PM PT: Both foreign and domestic policy topics, she says. Nine segments.
6:05 PM PT: First question is on Libya. "Wasn't this a massive intelligence failure, Vice President Biden?" Biden doesn't bite on her bait, at least not initially, saying this was a tragedy, and pledging to get to the bottom of what happened. Biden quickly pivots into defense of the Obama administration's foreign policy overall, and rips Romney.
6:08 PM PT: Boy Ryan is getting indignant about the administration's reaction to the Benghazi attack. And parries Biden's broader critique by saying Romney and Ryan supported the Obama plan on Iraq in Afghanistan. Craziness.
6:08 PM PT: Now Ryan is saying that Obama had the same position as Romney when Romney accused Obama of sympathizing with the people who waged the attacks in Benghazi.
6:09 PM PT: "With all due respect, that's a bunch of malarkey," Biden says, calling Ryan "The Congressman, here."
6:11 PM PT (Kaili Joy Gray): New thread here.