It's not often that the Senate gets to confirm a chief justice of the United States. So why not capture the moment in pictures?

That's just what senator, songwriter and shutterbug Orrin Hatch decided to do.

As the Judge John Roberts confirmation hearing dragged into its third day, Hatch used his camera phone to snap a few pics from his prime vantage point of Roberts, fellow Sen. Chuck Grassley, and the hearing room.

We can't sample the senator's photographic skills because his office said they hadn't figured out how to download the images.

At least he wasn't hard at work on a crossword puzzle like Sen. Tom Coburn.

They can't all be good: Not all the questions being fired at Roberts are tough to handle.

Some are downright softballs.

Hatch, for example, asked Roberts if he would encourage attorneys to do pro bono work, volunteering legal services for good causes. (He would).

He later asked if he would promise to keep an open mind when he deals with cases involving detaining suspected terrorists. (He would).

Sen. Coburn lofted this beaut: "Would you agree the opposite of dead is alive?" (He does).

A frustrated Sen. Chuck Schumer asked Roberts if he would tell the committee what movies he likes. ("Dr. Zhivago" and "North by Northwest").

And the audience must have gasped at the answer to Sen. Lindsey Graham's probing query: "Were you proud to work for Ronald Reagan?" ("Very much, Senator.")

He's no backdoor man: Rep. Jim Matheson was among attendees at a recent fundraiser sponsored by an electrical manufacturers trade association, raising money for the 15 Democrats who voted for the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

CAFTA opponents snapped a picture of the Utah congressman entering the event, walking past a protester with a mascot-style cat mask and a sign that said "Fat Cats For CAFTA."

Other members entered the event through a back door. Matheson's spokeswoman, Alyson Heyrend, said her boss didn't receive any contributions at the event, but conceded checks may come in later.

She said he voted for CAFTA because he supports free trade, not because he wanted to beef up his campaign account. If fundraising were his goal, she said, he would have voted against the bill, because labor unions, which have given generously to Matheson in the past, threatened to withhold donations from Democrats who supported the trade deal.

Romney "drowning": Massachusetts governor and Utah favorite Mitt Romney is "practically drowning in ink these days," according to a political handicapping Web site, politicalderby.com.

The site ranks Romney in second place in the GOP contest, behind Sen. George Allen of Virginia.

"The good news is that just about every paper and magazine in the country is running a multi-part profile on the studly governor," the site reads. "The bad news is that all of these stories cast light on his evolving views on social issues and question whether broken glass conservatives will vote for someone who they perceive may not be 'one of their own.' "

The site, by the way, gives Sen. Hillary Clinton the top Democratic spot and also hands her second place because she's so far ahead in the field.