Garland seems to me a sacrificial lamb. He is a known quantity so it will be hard for the Republicans to make him a pinata, like Cornyn promised to do to any Obama nominee.
And even if Clinton wins and they decide in November to confirm him I'm not so sure that people like Cruz and Mike Lee are going to be willing to go along.
But what is the alternative, should Clinton win and the GOP retain the Senate? The Republicans continue to block any SCOTUS nominations from Democratic presidents forever?
Nothing says the Supreme Court must have nine members. The only problem with opening that can of worms is the risk that Hillary will pack the court if the Democrats get a Senate majority. Of course, that will either happen in 2017 or not at all in Hillary's first term, so that is not a particularly big risk.
