Editors’ Note: Additional debate coverage is by Benjamin Reed, who normally writes the weekly feature, The Accidental Gentrifist. As always, the opinions and ideas expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the outlook or beliefs of anyone else in the Ist network. Image(s) courtesy CNN/Univision.

The Big Show, Play by Play:

Questions asked by John King and Jorge Ramos. Moderated by Campbell Brown, who only looks like an Aqua-Netted Texan beauty. From Louisiana, Brown is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, the daughter of a senator, and the wife of a Republican consultant.

Round 1

Obama wins the toss but gives the ball to Clinton. She sets out with a thinly-veiled appeal to a generic host of Texan issues, citing “individual responsibility,” intoning the names of both Barbara Jordan and Anne Richards. She also (for at least the second time since landing) refers to her 90 days campaigning for McGovern in Texas as time spent “living” here, as if her sudden appearance in Austin is some great triumph, or The Return of the Native. (Keeping in mind that Hillary is an Illinois-born Arkansan first lady who nonetheless decided to run for the Senate in New York, it’s nice to see that she hasn’t grown out of playing fast and loose with her geographic loyalties.) While referencing Jordan right out of the gate could be written off as something other than a purely racial reference, describing the uphill battle of the sick as ‘discrimination’ seems like a weaker branch to dance on. At least she’s stopped equating her concern for Latinos with her love of mango ice cream. But when she mentions the primary pair of Texas and Ohio not once but twice (and “the other states ahead”) it’s pretty clear she’s ceased talking about Americans, and is instead referring to obstacles between herself and her intended position.

Obama’s response is a rocky start, marked by hesitation. Maybe he really is sick? But he does keep it big-picture: Iraq & the Economy. Follows with a few anecdotes of struggling Texans, touches upon his FDR-esque dream of an America rebuilt upon infrastructure, and then he too intones Barbara Jordan. Did they both just see the statue in the lobby of the airport?

And what, Molly Ivins can’t get no love?

But Obama does manage the night’s first quotable: “The problem we have is that Washington has become a place where good ideas go to die.” Which is informative, since I wasn’t aware good ideas ever got that far.

Round 2

The first point of differentiation on policy: When Jorge Ramos asks Clinton and Obama if they’d meet with the new leader of Cuba, Hillary says she would do so conditionally, if the country has already made democratic progress. “…there has to be evidence that indeed the changes are real; that they are taking place; and that the Cuban people will finally be given an opportunity to have their future determined by themselves.” This qualification makes Hill come off rather Bushy. Like: 'Sure, I would... but it ain't never gonna happen.'

However, while Barack does want to see some preparation before carte blanche normalization, he doesn’t want a presidential visit to be a kind of carrot that underscores an American diplomatic superiority. The notion that a presidential audience is not something prestigious to be earned is so refreshing, I want to cry from relief. But when he says Cuban-Americans should enjoy passage, lovely Campbell Brown accuses his hardening as back-tracking. In response, Obama drops his inevitable JFK quote. Clinton counters with what JFK really probably meant, and it looks like our boxing showdown is turning into a tennis match: a back-and-forth, the ideas remaining essentially unchanged as they bounce from mouth to mouth.

My only question: Is Barack intentionally mistaken when he says “…during my entire lifetime, and Senator Clinton's entire lifetime, you essentially have seen a Cuba that has been isolated”...? Because, you know, unlike Obama, Hillary was actually born several years before the main thrust of the Cuban revolution. Is he trying to underscore her age as evidence for an establishment connection? Is he trying to delineate himself from her on a generational standpoint?

Okay, I actually have a second question: In a dialogue about Cuba, how come nobody mentions Hugo Chavez, who’s largely kept Fidel’s economy afloat of late? Curious.

Round 3

In reference to the economy, John King asks how each candidate can differentiate themselves. (Probably the most obvious—yet important—question of the night.)

Obama stays oblique, repeats some of Clinton’s ideas, but finally hits full-strength, and the hint of illness is gone. Barack speaks freely, garnering no fewer than six rounds of applause: we need to increase the tax on interest gains, while reducing the tax on incomes below $75k, while also eliminating income tax on Social Security for seniors making less then $50K. Then for good measure he throws in some happy-fun stuff about a green economy that doesn’t cater to special interests.

Round 4

It looks like the bias of the questions is tilting in favor of Hillary, even if it’s because they think she’s nearly done for: John King plays into the very structure of Clinton’s campaign by asking how she will be ready on ‘day one’ of the presidency. Hill starts off well, but a third and then a fourth mention of her Texas-Ohio fixation draws audible groans from the press pool. Hill partially redeems herself with an attempt to out-green Obama, chased by a quick shot against Bush’s ‘war on science’. Which is now basically moot, since we don't need embryos to harvest stem cells anymore, and it's a safe assumption any democrat will re-up education on Natural Selection. But it's good to hear.

Clinton’s 90 day reprieve of foolish mortgages sounds like a variation of an order already put forth by the Bush administration, but nobody within earshot seems to make the connection.

Round 5

Ramos has his own axe to grind, bringing attention to home raids on illegals that also effectively orphan their children. This is the lowest hanging fruit for the candidates, who handily describe it as un-American.

More tennis: each candidate manages to vaguely reconcile border control with enhanced control over citizenship, yet Obama comes out ahead by citing the importance of limiting related hate crime and prejudice. Clinton doesn’t seem to follow this path, and gives Obama the point. Obama drives it home by underscoring, for perhaps the first time on such a large stage, the uphill financial battles illegals face, and how this makes them less likely to follow the law. For the first time, Obama is demonstrably more knowledgeable.

Round 6

In what is so far the height of the evening’s political theater, both weigh in on the Border Fence, even though both are more than informed enough to know that a.) a border fence doesn’t actually work and b.) at no point did the federal government allocate enough funding to construct an entire fence. Hillary begins to intimate this by suggesting other technologies can literally fill the gaps.

The dialogue results in more tennis. Or, maybe by now, we should call it ping pong: each candidate just agrees with the other, passing the ball back and forth, only adding more English each time they swing the paddle.

At least both verbally recognize the insanity of deporting 12 million people.

Clinton cites the bisection of Brownsville as evidence of border lunacy, but I can’t help but think: Can’t we just give the whole town back to Mexico?

Round 7

On the question of a bilingual America, Clinton admits that she has no second language (She did go to Wellesly, after all), and in such cedes a small victory to her Indonesian-raised competitor, and obviously hopes to avoid further discussion on the issue as it pertains to her personally.

Both essentially have the same approach: bilingual is good, but official English is bad. They’re such Democrats.

Round 8

In a complete act of corporate allegiance, and hoping to maneuver Clinton into offering the first sound byte zinger of the evening (on par with ‘Where’s the beef?’), King asks her if Obama’s ‘all hat and no cattle.’

This eye-rolling yawner turns exciting as Clinton lands the first low blow of the night, referencing ex-mayor Kirk Watson’s gaffe in which the Austinite was at a loss to justify his support for Obama. (Just after, the CNN cameras find Watson in attendance. So sad.)

But really, the fight is just beginning:

Obama comes back with a one-two combo: first, he lists several of his many accomplishments as a senator, works that have been largely ignored in the face of Hillary’s inexplicably over-touted accomplishments. Second, Obama directly addresses the perception that faith in his campaign is some sort of "delusion," despite the fact that 20 million people and every major newspaper in Texas—institutions who make a practice of reviewing, testing, and knowing the facts—supports his 2008 presidential run. He's still hesitating, but he's getting laughter. I mean, the good kind.

Obama delineates his popularity, and receives the longest applause yet. Hillary shifts, the glow in her eyes flickers. Something has changed, and she can taste it. Maybe the phrase that crosses her mind is 'tipping point'.

Will the claws finally come out?

Round 9

Campbell Brown introduces recent accusations of plagiarism against Obama, and his defense seems not only plausible, but perfectly reasonable. By the time he uses the term ‘silly season’, it seems like it’s all over but the crying.

Stick a fork in Hillary, ’cause she’s done.

Then, a moment after Barack appeals against negative campaigning, Clinton offers her attempt to trump ‘silly season’ and present this year’s catch phrase. She drops ‘Change you can Xerox,’ to groans and almost no applause at all. Hillary Clinton, of all people, is pretending that there are no such things as speech writers, when it’s pretty clear the Xerox line was handed to her on a 3x5 card.

For a moment, Obama could tie an anchor around her neck and drop her in the lake, and the result would be about the same. He stays cool, but you can tell he can almost smell the sheets in the Lincoln bedroom.

Round 10

Obama’s first clear slip of the night—while both recognize that the Iraq surge has been a tactical success in a strategic nightmare—and Obama gets in a quick Hillaryesque pander to the boys at Fort Hood—Clinton quickly shifts to health care, where the exchange makes it look like Obama wants to penalize parents who don’t accept his plan. Which might be the case. When Ramos offers her the opportunity to put Obama away with a dismissal of his readiness to lead, she declines, and instead insists on pushing him on health care, her strongest field by far. For the first time of the bout, the sparring gets lively and Obama’s responses can’t counter her attacks, and she puts Baby in the corner. For a second, Obama teeters on his heels.

Round 11

Obama becomes the first candidate tonight to mention Hugo Chavez, although to no concrete determination. He’s also the first to introduce PTSD and the issue of vets’ mental health, as well as McCain’s 100 year pledge. But at this point he’s fighting the clock more than he’s fighting Clinton.

Round 12

When asked about the power of super delegates to rescue a candidate from a popular loss, Clinton reveals a little too much by saying the whole mess “will sort itself out,” perhaps hoping for an 11th hour Bush-style win, taking office in the face of popular defeat. Barack is understandably in favor of letting the will of the people determine the outcome.

Obama has a chance to end on a high note when he’s asked, in conclusion, to cite his greatest trial. Instead of dropping a bomb, he trots out his well-worn, best-selling life story, scoring weird points for an unsolicited reference to his drug and alcohol use. A missed opportunity to show us something new.

When Clinton is asked the same question, I’m ready to bet the farm she’s going to drop a Giuliani-style 9/11 reference, citing her work to rebuild the WTC and secure medical help for first responders. Instead, she makes a joke about her philandering husband. (I bet he never gets tired of that.) Then Hill takes the lowest high road on the map: compared to the American people, her trials ain’t nuthin’. She wipes a tear from her eye and tells the world not to worry, she’s going to be fine.

Refusing to cede a knockout, Hillary Clinton wants it to go to decision.