Roberts was ushered through the cluster of popping flashes and television camera operators who nearly knocked over the flag outside Hatch's office. He was accompanied by two security guards, former Sen. Fred Thompson and Jamie Brown from the White House office of legislative affairs.

It was Day 2 of Capitol Hill visits for Roberts. The meeting, meant as a brief courtesy call, stretched on for nearly an hour.

“We chatted about what this process is, how difficult it is to go through," Hatch said. "A lot of things. A lot of the procedures involved, and we chatted about how to handle himself and what he should do,” Hatch said. “I just told him to be himself. He's a brilliant, brilliant constitutional lawyer. He knows there are certain questions he can answer and certain questions he's not permitted to answer under the Canons of Judicial Ethics.”

Hatch said it was a meeting much like he has held with every justice on the bench, with the exception of Justice John Paul Stevens, who was confirmed before Hatch was elected.

Roberts met earlier in the day with the “Gang of 14,” the bipartisan group of senators who brokered a deal to avert a showdown over judicial filibusters earlier this year. Members of the group said they saw no reason yet to try to block Roberts' nomination.

"This is a credible nominee, and not one that - as far as we know now - has a record that in any sense could be described as extremist," Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., told The Associated Press.

After leaving Hatch's office, Roberts was scheduled to meet with other senior members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. On Wednesday, he met with Senate leaders from both parties.

Before their meeting, Hatch and Roberts shook hands and exchanged pleasantries for the cameras. Hatch asked Roberts if Thompson had been taking care of him.

“He's been great at running interference,” Roberts said.

“He can do that as well as anybody,” Hatch said.

“Are you excited?” a reporter blurted out. Roberts, who is discouraged from talking to reporters, froze. Hatch staffers shouted “No questions!” The reporter asked the question again. A somewhat puzzled-looking Roberts responded, “Yeah, I'm excited about it.”

Democrats suggested Wednesday that Roberts should be required to answer specific questions about his views, and that the White House should turn over documents he produced when he was in the office of the solicitor general, which argues the White House's views before the Supreme Court.

Hatch said the documents are designed to get the unvarnished opinions of the attorneys in the solicitors office, and making them public could keep the lawyers from being candid.

Democrats made similar demands for the documents during the confirmation of Miguel Estrada.

“I don't think they're going to get away with that this time,” Hatch said. “If they're going to play that partisan game again with stakes this large and someone of this quality, the American people are not going to put up with it.”