President Signs Law Protecting Your Right to Review 10 years ago
This is spin, pure and simple.
A cursory glance at the page you link to tells a dramatically different story than the one you're telling. John Roberts was originally nominated to replace Sandra Day O'Connor. Then Rehnquist died and Roberts was renominated to become Chief Justice.
In the case of Harriet Miers, everyone was opposed to her, including the right who called her unqualified. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10...
No one is saying that Merrick Garland is unqualified. It's a naked political ploy with no modern (or historical?) precedent.