Talk Time

Obviously, White House press secretary Dana Perino has never had to stretch to fill hours of air time. It turns out that she's not nearly as chatty a briefer as her predecessor, former talk show host Tony Snow. In her first 10 solo televised briefings as White House press secretary, Perino managed to dispatch reporters' questions in one-third less time and with almost 40 percent fewer words than Snow did in his first 10 sessions. "I've always been told I talk too fast," she tells In The Loop. "And walk too fast. And eat too fast. I operate on one speed. But I'm trying to slow it down. Plus, with me briefing it means that everyone has a chance to go out to lunch, too."