So let's see here. A 5-4 SCOTUS decision split exactly on party lines.

[MADem]

46. Robert Bork would disagree furiously! (Of course, that's what he ALWAYS did...!)

In fact, that little fucker (and pardon my French) was the namesake of the term "Borking."

So would Harriet Myers!

Sometimes, the President gets the SCOTUS nominees that can pass the gauntlet--not the ones they necessarily want.

That said, I do agree with your essential point-- that wingnut Presidents are going to nominate wingnut justices--they're just going to pick ones that can fly under the radar, who can provide "non-responsive responses" to tricky questions, or who can outright lie without blushing furiously, and who will say what the Senate wants to hear. I mean, after all, Dumbya didn't say, "Gee, I couldn't squish mah best gal Harriet through that meat grinder, let me look at my short list and pick someone who's been working for the Southern Poverty Law Center as an alternative!"