I agree with you Phil, but I'm suprised nonetheless. I've always
assumed Rove would stay on til the end. Congressional Democrats
will probably step up efforts to subpoena him, hoping that the
administration's executive privilege claims will be on weaker
grounds when involving an ex-staffer. But my guess is that Rove,
like Karen Hughes during her time back in Texas, is going to remain
influential behind the scenes.
UPDATE: Coincidentally, Josh Green has a piece on Rove in the
Atlantic asking what's so brainy about Bush's brain
(sorry, behind subscriber wall). The Atlantic: taking the
bloom off senior White House aides, one aide at a time. Or
something.