I am initially very distressed over the news of O'Connor's retirement - I don't need to go into the details of what others have already rightfully said -- a Rhenquist replacement would be status quo, while the O'connor vacancy puts Roe in danger.

I'm curious though -  is this the issue that galvanizes the country around the Democrats? (There's no keeping our powder dry -- it doesn't make sense to me to wait until Rhenquist retires, it will be too late.)  Is there anyone out there who thinks that a majority of Americans will rally against an overly conservative pick?

My sense is that it is possible, provided that Roe isn't the only defining issue - rather, a push that highlights privacy rights in general, along with economic, social, civl and labor protections that might be at risk.