So Karl Rove has left or is about to leave the Bush administration, and many think it's long overdue. Why? Because being a political operative is totally different from helping to govern and make policy. He may have been a comfort to his long time friend the President, but in joining the White House staff he did Mr. Bush no favors. Instead of helping to find common ground and build a consensus, the White House (with Rove at least partially calling the shots) treated issues like Iraq and immigration largely by trying to discredit contrary opinions. Attack your opponents! If they don't agree with the war, then they don't support our soldiers and they're SOFT ON TERROR! Those kind of hardball tactics work during a campaign,(just ask the two Johns--McCain and Kerry) but it's a divisive and ultimately ineffective way, it seems to me, to run a country. Rove has been an ardent practitioner of "wedge" politics...divide the public in order to win an election. And he's been successful at it. But it's the last thing this country needs. Both parties play gotcha politics these days instead of legitimately trying to find solutions to problems. So a man like Karl Rove will be in heavy demand in an election year...he may operate behind the scenes, but I don't expect him to be retired for very long.