"When he couldn't get through, we ended up with Kennedy"
What's so bad about Kennedy? I rate the justices thus ... best to worst:
Scalia - Thomas - Kennedy - OConnor - Breyer - Souter - Stevens - Ginzberg
So Kennedy is 3rd out of 5 latest GOP picks, middle of the pack... Not bad for the 3rd choice after Bork failed.
I don't fault Reagan for trying for Bork at all. He proved he gave it his best shot. They should have shaved Bork and told him to use small words and flatter the Senators and STFU and we'd have Justice Bork, but it was not to be so.
I dont fault the pick, I fault their failure to pick up on how the Democrats were willing to demagogue it. Pre-internet, so they succeeded.
And as a 3rd choice, Kennedy is better than Blackmun turned out. The unforgivable picks are the 1st time boners, like Souter.
Oh ye of short memory:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/04-108.ZS.html