Karl Rove to resign from White House

By Paul Willis and agencies
Last Updated: 5:49pm BST 13/08/2007
Telegraph newspaper online


Karl Rove, the man credited by many with winning George W Bush the last two US presidential elections, will resign at the end of the month, it was revealed today.

Mr Rove, the president's deputy chief of staff, said he would leave his role in late August to spend more time with his family.

A White House spokeswoman confirmed the resignation, describing it as a "big loss".

Although no political reason was given for Mr Rove's departure, the Bush administration had been under pressure from senior Republicans to change its political strategy - particularly in relation to the war in Iraq - or leave the party to face a drubbing in next year's presidential and congressional elections.

Often referred to as "Bush's Brain", Mr Rove has proved a divisive figure in American politics and a lightning rod for anger among Democrats.

Mr Bush resisted calls to sack him when he was accused two years ago of disclosing the identity of a CIA agent to a journalist.

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Earlier this month, the president rejected a subpoena for Mr Rove to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee in an investigation into fired federal prosecutors.

Mr Bush reportedly has two affectionate soubriquets for Mr Rove - "Boy Genius" and "Turd Blossom", the latter a reference to the bloom that grows in bovine waste.

Also known as "the Architect" for his campaigning skills, Mr Rove is the latest in a series of senior Bush aides to quit in recent months.

Deputy national security adviser Meghan O'Sullivan, the architect of the surge strategy to boost troop numbers in Iraq, and Peter Wehner, a strategic thinker who sold Mr Bush's ideas to the power players in Washington, have both left the presidential team recently.

"I just think it's time. There's always something that can keep you here and, as much as I'd like to be here, I've got to do this for the sake of my family," Mr Rove said in an interview published in today's Wall Street Journal.

Asked if he felt he had committed any mistakes during his stay in the White House tenure, he said, "I'll put my feet up in September and think about that."

The Wall Street Journal said he was planning to return to Texas where he has a family home and where his son is attending college.

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