Thatr means if the rules are changed and 51 votes are needed Obama is voting with the majority.
If the rule for invoking cloture isn't changed (for nominees), I can see the DEMs counting heads and allowing Obama to vote for cloture, as long as that doesn't result in the actual confirmation vote to proceed.
That's a given. There are quite a few Democrat Senators that will vote for these Justices if released from the cloture vote the Dem leadership has enforced. But he doesn't have the courage to vote to end that cloture.