That said, the Senate can bottle up whatever it wants to. The Frist-lead Senate bottled up half a dozen or so Bush nominations for judgeships, to the point that after a couple years and several renominations, the nominations were abandoned by Bush. That subterfuge was undertaken to appease the DEMs.
If Obama and the press make the right noises, McConnell will capitulate.
It’s not about noises, it’s about back room deals.