Article snippet: Democratic lawmakers say they are feeling better about former Vice President MORE’s standing as their party’s presidential front-runner after this week’s debates, despite what they describe as lingering questions about his age. The 76-year-old’s shaky performance at a June debate after limited public appearances on the campaign trail raised doubts about his ability to compete with rivals 22 years younger, in the case of Sen. MORE (D-Calif.), or more. “I was worried after the first debate he might have lost a step,” said one Democratic senator, who described the former vice president as having been caught flat-footed after Harris criticized his record on busing to integrate schools. The lawmaker, who requested anonymity to comment frankly on the front-runner’s viability, said it wasn’t clear whether Biden wasn’t adequately prepared for the attacks in the first debate or whether he was having a tough time thinking on his feet. That concern was largely alleviated after Biden punched back at his critics more effectively at the second debate in Detroit, even though the senator said Biden’s performance still wasn’t spectacular. “I thought he was good enough,” the senator said. A second Democratic senator expressed similar doubts about Biden after the first debate but felt somewhat relieved after he appeared more energetic sparring against Harris and Sen. MORE (D-N.J.) on Wednesday. “I had the same general reaction as everybody else. I thought he was good on Wednesday. ... Link to the full article to read more