"History isn't playing out the way it did for Bork."
That's because there was no internet. No blogosphere. No alternate media. No Freepers.
That's a small part of it for certain.
But consider since Bork conservatives have spent years debunking the sting of the type of accussations that helped derail Bork. Alito, and Roberts, benefit from about 18 years of groundwork to ascertain what happened to Bork, and to lesser extent Thomas, cannot be successful again with the American people. That and the difference in Alito's temperment vs Bork are significant factors as well. Unfair temperment was used to derail Bork? Absolutely in his case. But we know the egos of the Congress are such that if you are combative against them you've made an enemy. Not so good when their vote is needed. Unfortunately as a result we got Kennedy eventually for the slot.