It's a sad day for those of us who like having cynicism and malevolence embodied in one doughy package. After nearly seven years in the White House, President Bush's political adviser Karl Rove is to resign, effective at the end of the month.

Rove gave his so-long statement to Paul Gigot, the editor of the Wall Street Journal's editorial pages and his pal of nearly two decades. Rove handed him the news while they were having coffee in Rove's "book-lined living room." Does anyone still think that Rupert Murdoch is going to push the WSJ to the right somehow?

The highly indictable Rove—whose success at painting anyone who questioned the wisdom of invading a foreign country with little justification other than, hey, we could, as an America-hating hippie who wanted to see Osama bin Laden rape our white women and blow up our bridges—helped the president win two elections and allowed Republicans to maintain control of Congress through 2006, leaves office with Republicans in disarray. His plan to turn the party into the permanent government majority seems to have failed massively, and the only hope it has of retaining the White House in next years election depends on an amazing series of mishaps by the Democrats (so, even odds).

He has a very dim view of democracy:

What about those who say he's leaving to avoid Congressional scrutiny? "I know they'll say that," he says, "But I'm not going to stay or leave based on whether it pleases the mob."

Only a true mastermind could cast the voice of the people as a "mob."

Still, at least part of his legacy is secure: Massive tax cuts that benefit the wealthy at the expense of the rest of the country seem unlikely to be rolled back. The commitment to appointing young, ultra-conservative justices to the Supreme Court may yet result in the rollback of the 14th Amendement that the party so desperately desires. Dissent will continue to be confused with a lack—rather than an expression of—patriotism. A majority of people will continue to vote against their own interests out of some manufactured fear that "the gays" want to marry their children.

The British politician Enoch Powell famously noted that "All political careers end in failure." Still, for someone like Rove, you've got to imagine there's some sort of satisfaction that he was able to accomplish this much evil. And you've got to admire his sense of vision: Where some saw a smoking crater at the heart of this city filled with the charred remains of 3,000 people, Rove saw an opportunity to enact an agenda that would have made Barry Goldwater ashamed.

Anyway, looks like Dick Cheney finally has total control at the White House. Should be an interesting couple of years, if we're able to survive them.

Karl Rove to Resign At the End of August [WSJ]