Something that's been bugging me

Sandra Day O'Connor. And no, its not because I won't get to see that frilly, sassy doily thing. It's not because of any of her decisions, well, except for her last one...to retire. Just to be clear, I'm not irked because she chose to retire, it's her life, I'm not irked that it gave a chance for Alito to get a seat as I have no idea how he'll vote, its because of this. She's made quite a name for herself lately attacking Delay and others for their attacks on the judiciary. Even going so far as to coyly throw around words like dictatorship (quick aside, I like the way The Guradian both had and kept track of their correction on the term "brain dead"). What bugs me is that if she really felt this way, why did she step down from the one position in the whole world that would give her the best chance to fight? To stop the what she's trying to stop. How does that work? Keep in mind, the things she's warning against were all happening during her time on the highest court in the land. To be honest, I'm having a hard time thinking about her points on merit. I just keep thinking, if this were a big deal, surely you would have stayed in for the fight. If knowing what you know, and believing like you do, you still wanted to do something else with you days, well, then so do I. Granted, I tend to agree with her, but she's not the one I want holding the flag on this issue.