Feinstein was caught black handed-(view post #91 in this thread)-and not criticized.
Your problems with perception aside, all competent public speakers have some form of quick notes.
In High School you used notes, probably the standard 3x5 cards, as did I. Standard practice.
When I took Speech in college, my professor taught to never have notes visible to the audience.
He thought, and taught, that it portrayed a lack of knowledge in the subject matter.
Eye contact was key when speaking to a crowd.
This same professor taught me to write on my palm and instructed how to give hand motions that looked natural, while I checked my notes.
This whole thing is a tempest in a tea pot and all one gets out of it is someone blowing st