No, this isn’t a cave. It is called “going through the motions.”
Let Valerie send her nominee up. Hold two months of hearings, then vote them down.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Until February 2017, when President (Carson, Cruz, Rubio, Trump) can send their nominee.
I envision the repubs saying they’re going through the motions, as you say, then pulling a John’s Roberts-type betrayal, saying they had to confirm, it’s an election year and voters might get angry with us.
It’s Lucy with the football.