US:President George Bush's increasing isolation and dwindling power were highlighted yesterday when Karl Rove, credited as the strategist behind his two election wins, announced his resignation.
Mr Rove, Mr Bush's closest political friend, set out to make the Republicans the natural party of power for decades to come. But he leaves with Mr Bush at near-record lows in polls, the US bogged down in Iraq and no significant legislation as a legacy.
Standing with Mr Bush on the White House lawn before the two headed for the president's Texas ranch, Mr Rove talked up the administration's achievements, describing Mr Bush as a reformer and war leader. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published yesterday, he insisted his reasons for leaving were personal: "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." But the main reason may be that, though Mr Bush has 18 months left in office, there is no chance of the president pushing any significant legislation through Congress.
In recent months Mr Rove has also faced various attempts by the Democrats in Congress to force him to testify in the scandal over the sacking of eight state attorneys, apparently for political reasons. He was also caught up in the controversy over the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame, which saw his White House colleague, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, sentenced to 30 months in jail.
He said he planned to write a book and teach. Friends said he may offer to help in next year's presidential election campaign, though it seems likely all the Republican candidates will be seeking to distance themselves from Mr Bush's administration.
Democratic congressmen claimed they had run him out of town. But Mr Rove was dismissive, telling CNN: "That sounds like a rooster calling up the sun." Mr Rove, who has known Mr Bush for 34 years and who was nicknamed the "architect" by the president, and "Bush's brain" by his critics, helped him win the governorship of Texas in 1994 and re-election in 1998, and shaped the strategy for Mr Bush's presidential run in both 2000 and 2004.
Although Mr Rove says he laughs at many of the claims made by opponents against him, the Bush administration has a reputation for "dirty tricks".
Although no one ever linked the Bush campaigns to the rumours that sprung up in various campaigns, his opponents almost every time had to defend themselves against unfounded rumours. There was an untrue rumour in 2000: that John McCain, who was the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, had an illegitimate black daughter, a claim that damaged the senator in the South Carolina primary. In office, Mr Rove proved to be less effective than he was on the campaign trail.
He was put in charge of dismantling America's already limited social security system but failed.
He was also put in charge of the restoration of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina two years ago but only a little of the city has been rebuilt and question marks remain about whether the rebuilt levees will withstand another big storm.
The biggest dent to his reputation came with last November's congressional election in which the Democrats routed the Republicans, mainly because of growing public disillusionment with the Iraq war. That damaged his reputation as an election strategist.
In the Wall Street Journal interview, he claimed that the war will turn and look much better in the months ahead, that Mr Bush's poll ratings will improve and the Republicans will win the presidential election, particularly if their opponent is Hillary Clinton.
White House deputy press spokeswoman Dana Perino yesterday described his departure as a big loss. "He's a great colleague, a good friend, and a brilliant mind," she said.
"He will be greatly missed, but we know he wouldn't be going if he wasn't sure this was the right time to be giving more to his family. . ." She said he had been talking with the president for about a year about the best time to go. "But there's always a big project to work on, and his strategic abilities - and our need for his support - kept him here," she said. Ms Perino said Mr Rove would formally leave at the end of August. The White House did not say whether its chief of staff, Josh Bolten, will appoint a successor or leave the post vacant.