Remarkably, I think Reid was looking to avoid a fight that might end in Democrats being backed into a filibuster by their base resulting in a "nuclear option".
People say that Bush made this selection out of weakness. I think Reid might have recommended her (if he did) out of the same motivation.
Which makes sense when your party is the minority. The filibuster has been an excellent strategy. Instead of moaning like a bunch of wimps about it, the GOP should be kicking themselves for not using it. They hold up their consent of Bader Ginsburg as the new standard, when in fact they should have fought like hell to shoot her down. The GOP are a bunch of lightweights. They have no clue how to fight.