save the speech

david savage of the l.a.times, on npr the other day, commented on the way so many senators on the judiciary committee use up much of their allotted questioning time with prolonged introductory remarks.

he said they're better speechmakers than questioners and would do better to start off with a pointed question and save the speech for the follow-up.

an experienced trial lawyer like arlen specter has no such problem, but several senators really do waste a lot of time, so much so that they often leave little time for answers and wind up watching the clock, rushing at the end trying to get one more question in, cutting off answers, getting mixed up, and wasting more time.