AFP, WASHINGTON: Hillary Clinton bested her challengers in the campaign’s first Democratic presidential debate, but her biggest accomplishment may have been to neutralize a potential rival who was not even on stage: Joe Biden. Analysts and observers said Clinton delivered a commanding performance Tuesday in the party’s two-hour Las Vegas showdown, reasserting her control of the presidential race after months of slipping poll numbers. She reassured her many supporters that she is not the weakened candidate many had feared—or hoped—and it leaves Vice President Biden the odd man out in a Democratic primary that is suddenly going the former secretary of state’s way. For months Biden has been weighing whether to jump in.