And taking that position essentially upends the Presidents responsibility to nominate a candidate in the first place. It places the Senate powers above the powers of POTUS, with respect to Supreme Court nominations. It sets a horrendous precedent.
I pretty much agree, although I'd point out that virtually every time the Dems don't get their way, their supporters declare that our political system no longer works. But you're certainly right that if Obama nominates a progressive activist, politician or academian, then the Pubbies have political cover to not consider that nominee. If on the other hand Obama nominates a moderate who has previously received little GOP resistance, then the Republicans will pay a political price for not holding hearings and a vote. This is as it should be; a reasonable, qualified nominee deserves honest and timely vetting, hearings and a vote. I'd even go further and say that an unreasonable nominee deserves honest and timely vetting, hearings and a vote, but that's debatable; when the Democrats were the ones obstructing, some people here argued that by not voting, they were doing their job, but I maintain that not doing one's job is not an acceptable way of doing one's job.
Actually Condoleezza Rice did no government business on non-government email and damned little on government email. Powell, certainly, and most of the Bush and Clinton administrations. The Hildabeast is just pushing the envelope of what they all do.
Seriously, you have to be joking. This is simply party politics. The Dems even gave us a new verb, to bork, based on making up and slinging slime. This is no different from the Dems sponsoring Anita Hill or sending dozens of operatives to dig up dirt of Palin.
