Bitter attacks dominate US vice-presidential debate

Kaine, Pence seek to highlight skills as men who could be heartbeat from presidency

The two candidates for US vice-president launched bitter attacks on the reputations and policies of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Tuesday during a fiery debate five weeks from Election Day.

Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Mike Pence sought to highlight their capabilities as the men who could be a heartbeat away from the presidency, but essentially they were on stage fighting a proxy war for their running mates scrapping for every vote on Nov 8.