What will Bush do without Rove?

It looks like Karl Rove might get indicted of some crime by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald as early as this week, in which case his job at the White House would most definitely be in jeopardy.

He seems to have a plan already, come what may:

Karl Rove has a plan, as always. Even before testifying last week for the fourth time before a grand jury probing the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity, Bush senior adviser Rove and others at the White House had concluded that if indicted he would immediately resign or possibly go on unpaid leave, several legal and Administration sources familiar with the thinking told TIME.

Resignation is the much more likely scenario, they say. The same would apply to I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, the Vice President's chief of staff, who also faces a possible indictment.

Oh well, I'm not going to hide the fact that I'm gushing right now :-)
After all, he's just getting what he deserves, after having smeared and ruined so many other people's lives.

However, today I'm even happier because I always thought, Who cares if Rove loses his office at the White House? He'll be just one phone call away, still holding Bush's hand through any event, just less visibly. But then today I read this:

A former White House official says Rove's break with Bush would have to be clean -no "giving advice from the sidelines"- for the sake of the Administration.

And now I feel even better. I almost peed my pants when I read that. Rove gone for good. What will it be of the White House without one of its two presidents (the other one being Cheney, who might be in trouble himself?) Well, to know the answer to that question, you don't have to look any further than at Bush's performance since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. In simple terms, a disaster.