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WATCH: Smirky Biden upstages his boss in debate vs. Paul Ryan

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Joe Biden (left) and Paul Ryan (EPA)

DANVILLE, Ky. — Vice President Joe Biden last night gave a powerful debate performance that helped clean up President Obama’s own debate mess, but may have caused another problem — he showed up his boss.

Unlike Obama last week, Biden charged straight at his opponent and hit hard, accusing Paul Ryan of wanting to roll back Medicare and Social Security benefits on the domestic front and aiming to keep US troops in Afghanistan and go to war with Iran.

Biden — who smirked and smiled whenever Rep. Ryan tried to make a point — went after his rival especially hard on taxes, accusing Republicans of blocking an extension of middle-class tax cuts.

“They hold hostage tax cuts for the middle class for the super rich,” he said.

“This is unconscionable.”

But in the process of outclassing the younger, less experienced Ryan, Biden upstaged Obama, who struggled in his Oct. 3 debate against Mitt Romney.

When Ryan compared the Republican plan to lower tax rates to reforms championed by John F. Kennedy, Biden zinged him.

“Oh, now you’re Jack Kennedy?” he quipped, sounding a lot like Lloyd Bentsen scolding Dan Quayle in the 1988 vice-presidential debate.

Even Ryan had to smile at that.

Still, Biden wore a smirk throughout the debate and repeatedly interrupted Ryan or let out a condescending laugh when Ryan made a point.

His belittling posture toward Ryan often gave the impression he was bullying his rival.

Biden cut off Ryan as the rep. criticized the Obama administration for failing to provide enough security at the US consulate in Libya, where terrorists killed the ambassador and three other Americans.

“With all due respect, that’s a bunch of malarkey,” Biden interrupted. “These guys bet against America all the time.”

He also accused the Romney-Ryan ticket of planning to undermine Medicare and privatize Social Security.

“Their ideas are old and their ideas are bad, and they eliminate the guarantee of Medicare,” he said.

Ryan fired back: “Here’s the problem. They got caught with their hands in the cookie jar, turning Medicare into a piggy bank for ObamaCare.”

He noted that ObamaCare raids Medicare of about $716 billion.

Biden went after Ryan for being part of a ticket that he said will lavish tax cuts on millionaires, pointing to Romney’s remark on a hidden camera that he can’t worry about the “47 percent” who depend on government and don’t pay taxes.

Obama had failed to capitalize on that point in his own debate.

Biden said Obama had taken bold measures to save the middle class during the recession, bailing out the auto industry and helping home owners facing foreclosure.

“Romney said, ‘No, let Detroit go bankrupt . . . No, let foreclosures hit the bottom,’ ” Biden said.

“But it shouldn’t be surprising for a guy who says 47 percent of the American people are unwilling to take responsibility for their own lives,” he said. “I’ve had it up to here with the notion of that 47 percent.”

Ryan stood his ground and fired back at Biden, saying Romney misspoke, something Biden should be familiar with.

Ryan did score points while defending the GOP budget plan and plans to reform Medicare.

Biden was under intense pressure to outperform Ryan last night and make up for Obama bombing a week earlier against Romney.

Ryan noted that at the debate last night.

“Mr. Vice President, I know you’re under a lot of duress to make up for lost ground, but I think people would be better served if we don’t keep interrupting each other,” Ryan said.

Obama, who watched the debate aboard Air Force One flying from Florida to DC, said he “could not be prouder’’ of his Biden.

Both campaigns will be closely watching the polls to see the effect of the one and only vice-presidential debate of 2012.

Obama’s run suffered a major setback after he was beaten badly by Romney on the debate stage in Denver, where the president was roundly criticized for delivering a flat and uninspired performance.

Romney rallied, his supporters got energized and he started climbing in polls, closing the gap and even overtaking Obama in in crucial swing states.

That’s why this vice-presidential debate, usually is a seen as little more than an insignificant undercard bout, suddenly mattered.

Biden was supposed to reverse Obama’s slip in the polls. Ryan was charged with keeping Romney’s momentum going.

Heading into the vice presidential debate, new polls showed Romney leading in the battlegrounds of Virginia and Colorado, as well as cutting Obama’s lead in the key swing states of Ohio and Florida.

Romney led Obama, 48-47 percent in Virginia and trailed Obama 1 point, 48-47 percent, in Florida and by 6 points, 51-45 percent, in Ohio, found a NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll.

A week ago, the same poll showed him behind by 2 points in Florida and by 8 points in Ohio.

Romney led 48-47 percent in Colorado and trailed 50-47 percent in Wisconsin and 50-46 percent in Virginia, according to a Quinnipiac University/CBS/New York Times poll.