Watching the Bush-Rove conference, it was impossible not to feel that this was the end of an era. The president admitted he soon be gone too; telling Rove “I’ll be on the road behind you here in a little bit.” While both Rove and Bush were clearly moved by the moment.
Rove’s departure signals that the Bush administration is done on domestic policy. The debate over whether he did Bush more harm than good will rumble onto into the history books. Indeed, what appeared like Rove’s greatest triumph—taking back the Senate in 2002 and increasing the number of Republican seats in the House—actually sowed the seeds for many of the problems that Bush is now reaping.
The display of political muscle in that campaign was as brutal as it was effective. Rove maximised the political pull of Bush with his stratospheric, post 9/11 ratings.
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