Pirate, I hope you're right.
Two things: I don't think I suggested the Prez was "catering" to anybody.
Invoking Ginsbug and Breyer as a signal that, we approved yours, now you approve ours...will NOT work with the Democrats, at all. They will still demagogue any nominee that they claim is out of the "American mainstream" (defined, as you said, the way THEY define it).
I feel more than confident that the President knows this will NOT work with the "other side." He was NOT addressing the ant-American/socialist/communist members of the SINate.
His signal was to us, the voters, the constituents of the absolute moronic idiots in the SINate, to motivate "we the people" to start bombarding the SINators with OUR opinions and not just leave it up to the Daily KOS, moveon.org, cpusa, DU, Soros crowd.