Roberts Roast: Field guide to the inquisition

Politics | When Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter brings down the gavel on Sept. 6, as scheduled, he will commence hearings on the man nominated to be the 109th Supreme Court justice in U.S. history. Capitol police waffled on which hearing room would provide the best security for proceedings many anticipate will be a circus. Regardless of the venue, the names—and their games—will remain the same | The Editors

The Hot Seat

John Roberts

The Handlers

Former Sen. Fred Thompson, now a D.A. on Law and Order, plays public chaperone, at the White House's request. Asked by a reporter, "What's the biggest pitfall you've advised John Roberts to avoid?" Thompson replied: "Oh . . . the press."

Former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie, also a veteran of Capitol Hill confirmation wars, will coach and advise Roberts.

Benefactors

To conservatives it's a pedigree while to liberals the list of past employers reads like a resumé torn from a nightmare. Roberts clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist and worked in the Reagan Justice Department. Then-deputy solicitor general (and former Whitewater prosecutor) Ken Starr says Roberts is "right down the middle of the fairway as a traditional conservative."