COLUMN: "Reaping the whirlwind: George Bush's presidency is ending in disaster," Lexington, The Economist, 4 October 2008.

Killer quote:

The crisis underlined Mr Bush's two biggest personal weaknesses—his leaden tongue and his indecisiveness.

Bush was an incredibly indecisive leader on everything except starting wars. On the one subject where you want calculation and caution, he was bold, but on everything else, he was oddly detached from events until cries grew too great to ignore.

The crueler judgment:

Mr Bush devoted much of his energy as president to forging a lasting Republican majority. But over the past four years conservatives have turned against him on everything from immigration reform to financial management. Far from creating a hegemonic party, Mr Bush leaves the Republicans in the worst state they have been in for decades; riven by divisions, confused about their identity and facing Armageddon at the ballot box.

So how come Karl Rove is a seven-figure author, six-figure TV talking head, and five-figure speech-giver?

This is essentially his great legacy? This is what defines his marketable expertise?