Well, day one is in the books. It consisted mostly of each member of the committee attempting to feign erudition while reading a script no doubt lovingly prepared by one of their staffers. The opening statements of each of the judiciary committee members has the primary purpose of allowing the Senators to stirke a pose for the various interest groups they represent. The secondary purpose is to test the nominee's ability to sit motionless and pretend to be paying attention for hours on end. In that regard, some are already criticizing Roberts for smiling unduly as one Senator praised his record and for looking shifty while another blathered on endlessly.
Ironically, the best advice Roberts has gotten about the nomination process came from the dreaded and vile Robert Bork, who told him publicly that he must resist the temptation to laugh when the Senators demonstrate their utter ignorance of legal matters. He did at least avoid doing that. One impressive thing is that Roberts delivered a 7 minute opening statement himself without notes.