Thursday in politics: Back on the campaign trail after first debate, and more

One presidential debate down, and two to go. Meanwhile, it's back to the campaign trail.

President Barack Obama will begin the day campaigning in Colorado and end it in Paul Ryan's home state of Wisconsin. Many observers described his performance at Wednesday night's debate as subdued, and some basically labeled it a debacle. Those same observers will be looking for whether there is a bounce back in Obama's step Thursday.

Mitt Romney, widely labeled the winner in Wednesday's showdown, will campaign with Ryan in Virginia. He'll also be watching to see if the debate puts a bounce in his standing in the polls.

Vice president Joe Biden will be in Iowa Thursday. He and Ryan meet on the debate stage next Thursday in Danville, Ky.

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And then there is this: The big story Thursday will be more spin and more analysis of Wednesday's debate, along with predictions of whether it will make a difference when voters go to the polls on Nov. 6.

And this: You never know what's going to come up in a debate, even when the participants are candidates for the White House. Wednesday night's surprise was Big Bird.

Sources: Yahoo! News' Chris Moody, Phoebe Connelly, Tom Bissell, Jeff Greenfield; Associated Press