At the time, everyone was so happy to see Clinton replaced by a Republican, that they gave Bush every benefit of the doubt, and Rove too.
Moreover, Bush maintained some appearance of conservatism during his first term. But after he won his second election, he pretty much abandoned his base. About the only thing he stood fast on was the right to life and traditional marriage, for which he deserves some credit.
At the outset of his second term, GWB also stood for privatization of social security -- a highly conservative stance for which he definitely deserves credit.
However, his own party melted before the onslaught of the media and the Democrats...and that was the beginning of the end.