US Vice Presidential debate: Kaine, Pence square off over Russia, immigration

​Farmville (Virginia): Senator Tim Kaine from the Democratic party and Republican Governor Mike Pence had a feisty exchange of words over their running mates’ policies at the first and only vice-presidential debate here as the two slammed each other with running a campaign filled with hatred.

The moderator, Elaine Quijano of CBS News, had to intervene from the very start of the debate last night, as the two vice presidential nominees interrupted each other at regular interval. In fact, at times Quijano had a tough time in controlling Kaine, 58, and Pence, 57.

“Let me say first and foremost that, Senator, you and Hillary Clinton would know a lot about an insult-driven campaign,” Pence said, highlighting Clinton’s relentless criticism of Trump. It is really remarkable, he added.

“At a time when literally, in the wake of Hillary Clinton’s tenure as the secretary of state, where she was the architect of the Obama administration’s foreign policy, we see entire portions of the world, particularly the wider Middle East, literally spinning out of control.

“I mean, the situation we’re watching hour by hour in Syria today is the result of the failed foreign policy and the weak foreign policy that Hillary Clinton helped lead in this administration and create,” said Pence.

“The newly emboldened - the aggression of Russia, whether it was in Ukraine or now they’re heavy-handed approach...,” said the calm and cool looking Indiana Governor as he was interrupted by Kaine, who appeared to be on the attack from the very first moment of the debate.

“You guys love Russia. You both have said...,” Kaine interrupted as Pence tried to complete his sentence “...their heavy-handed approach.”

“You both have said—you both have said Vladimir Putin is a better leader than the president,” Kaine jumped again.

The debate was kicked off by Kaine as he responded to the first question.

While Democratic presidential nominee Clinton has dedicated her life for public service and for the betterment of the people of the country, her Republican rival Donald Trump has always put himself first, he said.

“Trump always puts himself first. He built a business career, in the words of one of his own campaign staffers, ‘off the backs of the little guy’. And as a candidate, he started his campaign with a speech where he called Mexicans rapists and criminals, and he has pursued the discredited and really outrageous lie that President Obama wasn’t born in the United States,” he said.

“It is so painful to suggest that we go back to think about these days where an African-American could not be a citizen of the United States. And I can’t imagine how Governor Pence can defend the insult-driven selfish ‘me first’ style of Donald Trump,” Kaine, the senator from Virginia, alleged.

“The thought of Donald Trump as commander in chief scares us to death,” he added.

Kaine also attacked Trump on his tax returns and the New York Times report according to which in 1995 he showed a massive business loss of nearly a $1 billion.