Rove Ends Long Career As Top Bush Adviser (3/3)

But the president's sharply declining public approval ratings and discontent over the Iraq war seem to have dimmed Republican hopes for political dominance, at least in the short term.

Rove is apparently going to take a break from national politics during the 2008 campaign cycle, no doubt a source of frustration for a host of Republican White House contenders who would want to tap his political wisdom.

Wayne Slater is the author of a book entitled, Bush's Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush. He spoke to CBS television.

"He is a guy who plotted the planning for George Bush's gubernatorial race and said,I can make him president of the United States. The absence of Rove would create a situation sort of like Paul McCartney without John Lennon, the music will be different."

Rove also got caught up in his share of political turmoil" class="hjdict" word="turmoil" target=_blank>turmoil during his White House years. Democrats tried without success to tie Rove to the leaking of former CIA covert" class="hjdict" word="covert" target=_blank>covert officer Valerie Plame's name in 2003. In addition, congressional Democrats continue to press Rove to testify about what role if any he had in the firing of nine U.S. attorneys last year.