Politics | Joe Biden As VP Debate Looms, Biden Buckles Down Vice president preps feverishly after weak Obama performance By Matt Cantor Posted Oct 8, 2012 12:02 AM CDT Updated Oct 8, 2012 8:11 AM CDT Copied Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) After President Obama faltered in his own debate, it falls to his gaffe-happy second-in-command to put things back on track—and Joe Biden isn't taking this one lightly, the New York Times reports. What he's doing to prepare: Biden has holed himself up in a Delaware hotel to practice, with Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen playing the role of Paul Ryan. Van Hollen's Ryan impression: a nice guy launching vicious arguments. Top Obama adviser David Axelrod is in charge of the performance, taking a hands-on role that seeks to learn from Obama's stumbles. Biden's instructions: Be aggressive. It's very different from Biden's debate with Sarah Palin; this time, says former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, the VP can "go hard on policy." The veep is reading Paul Ryan's book, Young Guns. Meanwhile, more post-mortem from Obama's own debate: Departing the stage, it seems the president thought things had gone OK. "He knew that Romney had had a decent night as well," says Axelrod. "But it’s very hard when you’re standing there." Later, Obama told his team: "This one's on me." Read These Next Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. Rubio says the fate of Iran's conversion facility is what matters. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Report an error