Fiery Exchange At Obama Town Hall 
 
 By Ed Henry 
 
 Fox Chief White House Correspondent 
 
 DECORAH, Iowa – President Obama got into a heated back and forth with a Tea Party activist who demanded to know at the end of a town hall meeting here whether or not Vice President Biden had called members of the Tea Party “terrorists” during the debt ceiling debate. 
 
 In public, Obama did not directly answer the question from Tea Party activist Ryan Rhodes about Biden. But Obama fired back that he knows better than anyone what it’s like to be slammed for his political views and was not about to accept a lecture on the topic. 
 
 “As someone who’s been called a socialist, not born here, taking away freedoms for providing health care, I’m all for lowering the rhetoric,” Obama said. 
 
 Obama did say he would discuss the matter further with Rhodes, founder of the Iowa Tea Party, after the event. And the duo was spotted in an animated conversation a few moments later. 
 
 In an interview later with Fox News, Rhodes claimed that the President insisted that Biden had not made the original comment. 
 
 “He just denied it, he said the Vice President didn’t make any of those assertions,” said Rhodes. “He doesn’t want to even admit what was on TV nationally — all over the place — then how can you have a conversation?” 
 
 Rhodes added that Obama brushed him aside. “Then he said ‘we can’t have a conversation because you’re saying I called you a terrorist,’” recalled Rhodes. “The fact is it demonstrates the deep divide that he is unwilling to negotiate without going after the other side, the whole day was about going after republicans and talking about how unreasonable they are.” 
 
 The private conversation between Rhodes and Obama was partially picked up by a TV camera but the audio was a little tough to make out. But Obama in general did seem to be saying the incident with Biden was misconstrued and that if Rhodes wanted to insist that the word “terrorist” was used then they were never going to see eye to eye. 
 
 The incident stems from a private meeting Biden attended at the height of the debt ceiling debate with House Democrats who were angry that Republicans were not meeting the President halfway. One lawmakers, Rep. Mike Doyle D-Pa.), went so far as to say that Republicans affiliated with the Tea Party had behaved like “terrorists” during the debate. 
 
 Some Democrats familiar with the meeting said at the time that Biden had appeared to agree with the sentiment expressed by Doyle and others as a way of moving the conversation along and convincing Democrats to support the final compromise. But Biden himself denied to CBS News that he had uttered the word “terrorist” in the meeting in the context of the Tea Party. 
 
 Here in Iowa, some people in the Iowa crowd here seemed to be unhappy with Rhodes. One woman was overheard confronting him by saying, “That was extraordinarily rude” to the President. 
 
 A second woman who did not want to be identified by name said she felt the exchange was “over the top aggressive.” 
 
 But Rhodes was not backing down. “I said my piece,” he said. ||||| DECORAH, Iowa – President Obama got into a heated back-and-forth Monday with a Tea Party activist who demanded to know at the end of a town hall meeting here whether Vice President Biden had called Tea Partiers “terrorists” during the debt ceiling debate on Capitol Hill. 
 
 In public, Obama did not directly answer the question from Iowa Tea Party activist Ryan Rhodes about Biden. But Obama fired back that he knows better than anyone what it’s like to be slammed for his political views and was not about to accept a lecture on the topic. 
 
 “Now, in fairness, since I’ve been called a socialist who wasn’t born in this country, who is destroying America and taking away its freedoms because I passed a health care bill, I’m all for lowering the rhetoric," Obama said. 
 
 Obama did say he would discuss the matter further with Rhodes, founder of the Iowa Tea Party, after the event. And the duo was spotted in an animated conversation a few moments later. 
 
 In an interview later with Fox News, Rhodes claimed that the president had insisted that Biden had not made the original comment. 
 
 “He just denied it. He said the vice president didn't make any of those assertions,” Rhodes said. “If he doesn’t want to even admit what was on TV nationally -- all over the place -- then how can you have a conversation?” 
 
 Rhodes added that Obama brushed him aside. “Then he said, ‘We can't have a conversation because you're saying I called you a terrorist,’” recalled Rhodes. “The fact is it demonstrates the deep divide that he is unwilling to negotiate without going after the other side. The whole day was about going after Republicans and talking about how unreasonable they are.” 
 
 The private conversation between Rhodes and Obama was partially picked up by a TV camera, but the audio was tough to make out. Obama in general seemed to be saying the incident with Biden was misconstrued and that if Rhodes wanted to insist that the word “terrorist” was used then they were never going to see eye to eye. 
 
 The incident stems from a private meeting Biden attended, at the height of the debt ceiling debate, with House Democrats who were angry that Republicans were not meeting the president halfway. One lawmaker, Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., went so far as to say that Republicans affiliated with the Tea Party had behaved like “terrorists” during the debate. 
 
 Some Democrats familiar with the meeting said at the time that Biden had appeared to agree with the sentiment expressed by Doyle and others as a way of moving the conversation along and convincing Democrats to support the final compromise. But Biden himself denied to CBS News that he had uttered the word “terrorist” in the meeting in the context of the Tea Party. 
 
 Here in Iowa, some people in the crowd seemed to be unhappy with Rhodes. One woman was overheard confronting him by saying, “That was extraordinarily rude” to the president. 
 
 A second woman who did not want to be identified by name said she felt the exchange was “over the top aggressive.” 
 
 But Rhodes was not backing down. “I said my piece,” he said. ||||| BEIJING (AP) — On the surface, President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin were all niceties — a pat on the back here, a pleasantry there. But away from the cameras, the two leaders circled each other warily at a global summit in China, coming face to face while relations between their countries continue to deteriorate. 
 
 U.S. President Barack Obama, left, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, arrive at the the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit plenary session... (Associated Press) 
 
 U.S. President Barack Obama, left, gestures towards Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, after taking a group photo for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation... (Associated Press) 
 
 U.S. President Barack Obama, left, walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, as he gestures towards Russian President Vladimir Putin after taking a group photo for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation... (Associated Press) 
 
 The White House said Obama and Putin spoke three times Tuesday on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific economic meeting, tackling some of the tough issues that have strained their relationship, including Russia's provocations in Ukraine and support for Syria's embattled government. They also discussed the fast-approaching deadline in nuclear talks with Iran, in which the U.S. and Russia find themselves on the same negotiating team. 
 
 Unlike at some of their past meetings, Obama and Putin kept their deep-seated policy disagreements behind the scenes. But their public encounters suggested their relationship remains tense. 
 
 Picturesque Yanqi Lake, just outside of Beijing, became the venue for an awkward pas de deux between two of the most powerful leaders in the world. Entering an ornate, wood-paneled room for the start of the summit, Obama and Putin looked a bit like sidekicks to Chinese President Xi Jinping. The summit's host led the way, with the American on one side and the Russian on the other. 
 
 "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Putin said in Obama's direction. Yes, it is, concurred a reticent Obama, avoiding eye contact with Putin and addressing his response to no one in particular. 
 
 As the three presidents came to a stop at the head of the table, Putin reached out to give Obama a slap on the back. But Obama had turned in a different direction, and it didn't appear that the Putin's hand landed on its intended target. 
 
 A few hours later, the two again found themselves in close quarters under an overcast sky as leaders planted trees in honor of their counties. Putin strode confidently up to his tree, ahead of Obama, who clasped his hands behind his back before picking up a shovel and greeting a Spanish TV crew with a wave. 
 
 Neither the White House nor the Kremlin offered much in the way of detail about the policy conversations Obama and Putin had on the sidelines of the summit. Putin's spokesman said only that the two had spoken a few times, touching on "bilateral relations, the situation around Ukraine, Syria and Iran." 
 
 The U.S. is furious over Russia's presumed role in fueling pro-Russian rebels in neighboring Ukraine. White House officials have accused Russia of sending heavy weapons to the separatists and shelling Ukrainian troops, and have denounced Russia's buildup of forces along the border. 
 
 A truce reached in September between the rebels and Ukraine's government is teetering, destabilized by what the White House calls a "blatant escalation" by Russia and rebel-organized elections in eastern Ukraine that the U.S. condemned as a "sham." Vice President Joe Biden, in a phone call last week with Ukraine's president, vowed further U.S. sanctions against Moscow "if Russia continued to willfully violate the terms" of the cease-fire. 
 
 Russia's economy has taken a major hit following U.S. and EU sanctions — the ruble has plunged by a third this year and hit an all-time low last week — but Putin has dismissed the notion that he's hurting at the hands of the West. Addressing the Asia-Pacific economic summit here Monday, Putin said his government had the resources to stabilize its currency without taking any emergency measures. 
 
 "We want Russia to play a different role," Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said Tuesday. "We want Russia to be a stabilizing force on issues that we care about. But they're not going to be able to do that ... if they're violating the sovereignty of a country next door." 
 
 Rhodes said Obama wouldn't not be seeking out a meeting with Putin while in Beijing — nor in Brisbane, Australia, where the leaders will once again run into each other during a Group of 20 economic summit this weekend. "Putin knows where we stand," Rhodes said, adding that Obama may discuss Russia's actions with other G-20 leaders. 
 
 For Obama and Putin, awkward encounters at international gatherings have become almost expected. But the optics have gained even greater attention as the Ukraine crisis has taken center stage. 
 
 In June, on the sidelines of D-Day anniversary commemorations in Normandy, France, Obama and Putin avoided each other during a group photo, with Obama even using Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as a buffer. The two later spoke briefly during a private leaders' lunch. 
 
 And during a formal meeting last year during a summit in Northern Ireland, Putin slumped in his chair and sat stone-faced as Obama tried to joke about the Russian leader's athletic ability. Obama later said Putin frequently looks like "the bored kid in the back of the classroom." 
 
 ___ 
 
 AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace in Beijing and AP writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP
– President Obama was greeted with some unexpected spice at the end of his town hall meeting in Iowa last night, when the founder of the Iowa Tea Party confronted him about Joe Biden's alleged remark that Tea Party members acted like "terrorists" (the VP denies saying it). Obama didn't directly respond in public, but did tell Ryan Rhodes that "as someone who’s been called a socialist, not born here, taking away freedoms for providing health care, I’m all for lowering the rhetoric." The two then apparently held a brief but "animated" private conversation, reports Greta Van Susteren's GretaWire. In a subsequent interview with Fox News, Rhodes said of his encounter with Obama, "He just denied it, he said the vice president didn’t make any of those assertions. He doesn’t want to even admit what was on TV nationally." Audio of their discussion was not available. Some attendees at the Iowa meeting disapproved of Rhodes' questioning, with one woman telling him it was "extraordinarily rude." Unapologetic, Rhodes said of the exchange, “I said my piece."