Sen. Clinton appears to have an edge in the debate having a better feel for the city of Austin, having "lived here."

But Sen. Obama's answer to the question of how the nation should normalize relations with Cuba may have looked like he just put one foot into the well. But it was consistent.

In 2005, Mr. Obama chastised the Bush Administration's refusal to give any leeway on loosening travel (once a year) and remittance ($100/month) restrictions to Cuba even for Cubans with family still living there. His comments were followed by fellow freshman Cuban-born Sen. Mel Martinez, Florida Republican, who denounced Mr. Obama's position.

Sen. Obama said those restrictions should be removed even while Fidel Castro was president. A number of Democrats and most Republicans stood by the president, but as he said then and now he thinks the U.S. should open the door by easing the restrictions as an incentive to begin a dialog toward Democratic reforms.

Still, a few questions later it is clear that Sen. Clinton's backup strategy is to not stick to the time limits and keep Mr. Obama from speaking, and that is probably a good strategy and excellent gamesmanship.