CBS/AP/ February 11, 2009, 4:24 PM

Rove Ends Turbulent White House Tenure

Killer whale Tilikum appears during its show "Believe" at SeaWorld March 30, 2011, in Orlando, Fla.

Killer whale Tilikum appears during its show "Believe" at SeaWorld March 30, 2011, in Orlando, Fla. / Getty Images

Karl Rove, the political mastermind behind President Bush's races for the White House and an adviser with unparalleled influence over the past 6? years, announced his resignation Monday, ending a partnership stretching back more than three decades.

It's a major loss for Mr. Bush as he heads into the twilight of his presidency, battered in the polls, facing a hostile Democratic Congress and waging an unpopular war. A half dozen other senior advisers have left in recent months, forcing the White House to rebuild its staff at the same time the president is running out of influence.

"I'll be on the road behind you here in a little bit," said a rueful Mr. Bush, announcing the departure alongside Rove on the White House South Lawn. The president leaves office on Jan. 20, 2009.

Why now? Rove says because White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten set a Labor Day deadline to leave, or work through the end of the term, reports CBS News chief White House correspondent Jim Axelrod.

Mr. Bush nicknamed Rove "The Architect" and "Boy Genius" for successfully plotting two national election strategies and helping strengthen Republican majorities in Congress in 2002 and 2004.

Critics derisively called him "Bush's Brain." During Mr. Bush's presidency, he has been one of Washington's most powerful and controversial figures.

The president appeared glum as he joined Rove for the announcement. "Karl Rove is moving on down the road," Mr. Bush said. "We've been friends for a long time, and we're still going to be friends. I would call Karl Rove a dear friend."

Rove, his voice shaking with emotion, told Mr. Bush, "I'm grateful to have been a witness to history. It has been the joy and the honor of a lifetime."

He said it had been more than 14 years since he helped Mr. Bush run for governor of Texas and 10 years since they began plotting the first race for the White House. Rove said it was time to "start thinking about the next chapter in our family's life."

After a lengthy hug from Mr. Bush and another from Laura Bush, Rove joined them on the president's helicopter. Rove, his wife and their son flew with President Bush on Air Force One to Texas, where the president began his August vacation.

Rove has been no stranger to controversy in Washington. He came under scrutiny in a criminal investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's name. He testified five times before a federal grand jury, occasionally correcting misstatements he made in his earlier testimony, but he was never charged with any crime.

The trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on charges of lying and obstructing justice established that Rove was one of the administration officials who leaked the name of the CIA officer, Valerie Plame.

In a more recent controversy, Rove refused to testify before Congress about the firing of U.S. Attorneys, citing executive privilege.

"Karl Rove was an architect of a political strategy that has left the country more divided, the special interests more powerful and the American people more shut out from their government than any time in memory," Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama said.

Although Rove never graduated college, his knowledge of American political history is literally encyclopedic, says CBS News chief political analyst Jeff Greenfield. But with his dream of permanent Republican realignment fading, and with Republican presidential candidates distancing themselves from their president, one of Rove's legacies may be to show that knowing the past may not be the key to shaping the political future.


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© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Syndicate says:
I have the feeling Mr. Rove is moving on to better things. Perhaps he is planing the defeat of the Democrats in '08. Not that it would be difficult. The Fact that Democrats now run congress should insure the Republicans secure the white house and congress in '08.
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nggr says:
after a wild **** romp, ms piggy had to apologize to screen_name_at for falling asleep with his nuts on his forehead. the juices made them stick and now it'll take weeks for the scab to heal.
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suddb says:
Why didnt you report your WH reporters comments? Bill Plante of CBS, who bellowed to Bush: "If he's so smart, how come you lost Congress?" Bill Plante is not a report, he is an editorialist. He doesnt report, he spews his bias. What Bill Plante should realize as a WH reporter is the stupity of his juvenile behavior. Mid term elections have historically meant a loss to the incumbent -- but his bias wont let him report the facts. Karl Rove kept the losses to a smaller amount than his beloved Clinton suffered in his mid term election. Where was his snide comments then? CBS will continue to suffer loss of viewers and creditibility as long as they let their "reporters" spew this trash and not report the facts (both sides of the issue) and keep their political bias out of the news. CBS does not report news they spew the democrate perspective. Bill Plante did himself and CBS news a great disservice today.
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red164 says:
W won (twice) and Dems can't go back in time and change it. Now Rove is getting a pay raise. Watch the libs whine.

Posted by screen_name_ at 07:04 PM : Aug 13, 2007


American Muslim CouncilNorquist cofounds the Islamic Institute, sometimes called the Islamic Free .... with Bush are actually radical Islamists with suspected terrorism ties. ...


Archive: Grover Norquist Linked to TerroristsRove has been a featured speaker at Norquist's Wednesday meetings. ... Norquist also has ties to Sami Al-Arian, president of the National Committee to ...

Grover Norquist%u2019s best friend is Karl Rove, the White House chief of staff ... There%u2019s a whole alphabet soup of Saudi agencies that funded terrorism in this ...


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name_verify says:
CBS should censor g.a.y.s. Human rights only apply to humans, not transgender freaks.

NOW REACT!
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nggr says:
he meant he was gonna hunt down some hot man meat!

PIGGY HUNGRY, RAAAAAAAWL
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name_verify says:
Liberals, Poverty Pimps, Terrorist Apologists

Join the Pride Parade

Hillary / Barak 2008 !
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cdfoxtrot says:
The first thing this clown said he'll do after he leaves the White House is to go huntin'. Yeah, going out and blowing the head off of some poor little animal is just what one would expect of this little jerk.
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red164 says:
CBS should censor g.a.y.s. Human rights only apply to humans, not transgender freaks.


Posted by screen_name_ at 07:01 PM : Aug 13, 2007

The Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) is a federated gay and lesbian political organization in the United States with state chapters and a national office in Washington, DC. The group consists of *** and lesbians who are supporters of the Republican Party. The organization has long been formally committed to supporting gay and lesbian civil rights.[1]


The Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) is a federated gay and lesbian political organization in the United States with state chapters and a national office in Washington, DC. The group consists of *** and lesbians who are supporters of the Republican Party. The organization has long been formally committed to supporting gay and lesbian civil rights.[1]

A Republican congressman from California who has repeatedly voted against gay rights measures is said to be gay himself

There were many "gay Republican" groups and organizations through the country beginning in the '70s. The Log Cabin Republicans formed in 1977 in California


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nggr says:
rove unleashed his ***, it jiggled as a vienna sausage being thumped by a 5 year old. bush licked his hairless body all the way down and took him inside. roves testes made thier way further up into his stomack as he sighed,"oh george!"
screen_name_at entered the room with a candle shaped like rupert murdoch, inserting it inside his *** he exclaimed to bush and rove,"got room for two more."
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