Bush's 'brain' Karl Rove to resign at end of month

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WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (AFP): Top White House political adviser Karl Rove, who has often been called George W. Bush's "brain" and linked to the most controversial decisions of his presidency, said in an interview published Monday that he will resign at the end of this month.
"I just think it's time," Rove told The Wall Street Journal. "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."
No specific reason was given. But the White House is under strong pressure from congressional Republicans, who see across-the-board losses in next year's presidential and congressional elections, unless there is a strategic reassessment of the current course, especially the war in Iraq.
Bush's overall job disapproval ratings stood at a dismal 63 percent at the end of last month, the worst showing since president Jimmy Carter, sending alarm bells through the Republican establishment.
No reaction to the announcement, which was posted by the paper on its website at about 4:00 am (0800 GMT), was immediately available.
The paper said Rove's resignation as deputy White House chief of staff will become effective on August 31.
Rove has been under fire since 2003, when retired US diplomat Joseph Wilson claimed he had illegally leaked to the media the identity of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, a covert CIA employee.