Vice-Presidential Debate Moments - Elections 2012

Ahead of a vice presidential debate that could sap or seal Mitt Romney's polling momentum, fitness-obsessed Paul Ryan has been preparing with the P90X of debate workouts. According to attorney Ted Olson, who played the role of Vice President Biden during practice, the Republican running mate has held a whopping nine 90-minute prep sessions. The sparring rounds were held across the country, from Wisconsin to Oregon to Virginia. And Olson says Ryan is ready. President Obama, though, expressed confidence in his man ahead of Thursday night's faceoff in Kentucky. "Joe just needs to be Joe," the president told ABC News. "Congressman Ryan is a smart effective speaker, but his ideas are the wrong ones At odds early and often, Joe Biden and Republican Paul Ryan squabbled over the economy, taxes, Medicare and more Thursday night in a contentious, interruption-filled debate. "That is a bunch of malarkey," the vice president retorted after a particularly tough Ryan attack on the administration's foreign policy.Though vice presidential debates are typically a sort of intermission between the more closely watched presidential debates, the Biden-Ryan contest could have more of an impact, which could explain the intensive practice sessions. It comes as the polls in the race take a turn on the heels of Romney's dominating performance against Obama last week in Denver. The Republican nominee has closed Obama's lead in several swing states and in some polls has surpassed the president nationally.