Mark Liberman assesses the candidates by speaking speed.
Overall, the Republican candidates are about 4% faster on average; but an unpaired t-test on the candidates' rates suggests that this difference is not statistically significant. It's perhaps worth noting, though, that stereotypes are not in general confirmed: John Edwards, despite his southern drawl, is around the 75% percentile of this bunch. Hillary Clinton, who as a woman should by stereotype be a faster talker than her male competitors, is below the median in this sample.
This article available online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2007/10/fast-talkers/224468/
