TOTUS is his crutch. He never has been able to talk very coherently without TOTUS. Partly or greatly, that is because he lacks a sufficient knowledge of the topic/situation/crisis/event. That is why he seems to ramble — he is under the guise that words coming out of his mouth result in a response to the question.
Additionally, one who typically is telling a lie tends to flood their response with a lot of words which may or may not be relevant. A liar thinks he/she must explain in greater detail. The more words it takes for them to answer a simple question, more you can bet they are constructing a deception or a lie.
He needs the one word test. </Dr Who reference>