McCain and his Merry Gang virtually guaranteed it won't happen. Re McCain's motivation, many things might be said. He's a grandstander, he'd like to get back at Bush for real and imagined offenses. "What's good for McCain is good for . . . oh, who the hell cares who else it's good for?" Any of them sufficient motivation for him to form the Gang of 14.
As I recall, though, most if not all on FR were upset because we wanted the judicial filibuster broken before a USSC pick came up, and Rehnquist was clearly not going to last long.
Could part of McCain's calculation have been that he actually wanted to sabotage any chance of putting someone on the USSC who would vote to overturn McCain-Feingold? I don't know that McCain has ever commented on his taste in judges, but anyone with even a rudimentary brain and even passing acquaintance with the Constitution would know that McCain-Feingold would be toast with a strict constructionist court.
Anyone who knows how to get rid of McCain please raise your hand. He is my worst nightmare. He is one of the reasons we are in the pickle we are in. Going through agony to pick a justice.