The day the GOP lost all hope of winning in '08
Yesterday.My personal views on the issue are unimportant, but it is very clear that short of a major faux-pas or a major unforeseen event that reshapes the playing field (i.e. nukes in D.C. or L.A.) that the GOP has just jumped the shark with swing voters on the social issues. The overwhelming majority of the independent voters in the US label themselves as pro-choice and they ain't gonna' be votin' Republican.
Alito will be the last hard-line conservative nominated to the SCOTUS for at least a decade, if not longer.