The U.S. Senate has a site which tracks all votes on Supreme Court nominations from 1789 to the present day. The site contains a bevy of information and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the topic.
Neither of George W. Bush's nominees coasted to the bench and faced similar criticisms from the Democrats:
Alito's vote total: 58-42
Roberts' vote total: 78-22
Bill Clinton's nominees faced little opposition:
Breyer's vote total: 87-9
Ginsberg's vote total: 96-3
George H.W. Bush had a mixed record. Souter was a slam dunk; Thomas squeaked by:
Thomas' vote totals: 52-48
Souter's vote totals: 90-9
Reagan was 4-1 as Bork went down to defeat, the last time a nominee failed in a U.S. Senate vote:
Kennedy's vote totals: 97-0
Bork's vote totals: 42-58
Scalia's vote totals: 98-0
O'Connor's vote totals: 99-0
Rehnquist's vote totals for elevation to chief justice: 65-33
I really do think the political environment has changed. Scalia and Ginsberg combine for a 194-3 vote? Can you imagine either justice sailing though in the 21st century? Ideology is now used as a litmus test. It shouldn't be.
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