CNN Poll: Debate watchers split on who won VP debate  —  Danville, Kentucky (CNN) - Call it a draw.  —  Forty-eight percent of voters who watched the vice presidential debate think that Rep. Paul Ryan won the showdown, according to a CNN/ORC International nationwide poll conducted right after Thursday night's faceoff.

Twitter frowns on Joe Biden's laugh  —  Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan were the two candidates on stage at Thursday's vice presidential debate, but a third character emerged: Joe Biden's laugh, which didn't escape the notice of tweeting politicos.

MEDIA HAMMERS BIDEN: ‘STOP SMIRKING!’  ‘WEIRD,’ ‘JERK’  —  We're about thirty minutes into the debate and already Vide President Joe Biden is receiveing pretty tough reviews for his bizarre smiling and smirking as debate moderator Martha Raddatz talks about issues as serious as Iran getting a nuclear weapon.

Angry old man yells at Paul Ryan for 90 minutes; Update: CNN insta-poll of undecideds shows tie; Update: Ryan wins CNN insta-poll overall, 48/44  —  I expected “table-pounding atmospherics” from Biden but I didn't expect him to act like a total jackhole for fully 90 minutes.

Very Quick Thoughts  —  I'll keep it brief.  —  I'd call the first exchange on foreign policy basically a draw.  Biden was on uncomfortable terrain on the Libya story.  On each successive encounter, Biden was on the offensive and owned the conversation.  I don't think it was close.

Vice Presidential Debate Transcript  —  Vice President Joe Biden and Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin shake hands after the vice presidential debate at Centre College, Oct. 11, 2012, in Danville, Ky. (Michael Reynolds/Pool/AP Photo)

Biden Bombed  —  You don't win a nationally televised debate by being rude and obnoxious.  You don't win by interrupting your opponent time after time after time or by being a blowhard.  You don't win with facial expressions, especially smirks or fake laughs, or by pretending to be utterly exasperated …

Biden contradicts State Department on Benghazi security  —  Vice President Joe Biden claimed that the administration wasn't aware of requests for more security in Libya before the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi during Thursday night's debate, contradicting two State Department officials …

Thoughts on the vice-presidential debate  —  Joe Biden was always going to be an attack dog tonight.  After the presidential debate, the Democrats needed him aggressively to promote their post-debate excuse that Romney is all smoke and mirrors.  Moreover, Biden is well suited for the attack dog role.

Live-blogging the big VP debate.  —  6:45 Central Time: Get ready!  —  7:18: “Paul Ryan's very attractive to a lot of women,” opines David Gergen on the CNN pre-show.  I have the DVR set to play the debate on CNN, but I'm thinking of changing because they're going to display focus group reactions …

Cutter: Benghazi Is Only an Issue ‘Because of Romney and Ryan’  —  Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter said Thursday that the “entire reason” the terrorist attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed four Americans has “become the political topic it is” is because Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan talk about the attack.