I think most everything I've read or heard (from the left and the right) of Rove's actions has been more like gossip than actual fact-based news.
That said, we know Rove is President Bush's chief political strategist and to some extent influences political action taken by the White House.
However, when it comes down to the wire, it is President Bush and *not* Karl Rove who makes the final decision on policy issues.
Some folks may be upset at Rove over the proposed amnesty for illegals, but I think their concern is misplaced. Ultimately, it was President Bush who decided to push the proposal. At some level our President actually believes in it.
You know, I keep seeing a lot of people pointing to Tom Tancredo as the "anti-Bush" on immigration - yet when I read the bill he proposed, I don't see "anti-Bush", but "Bush plus"... That is, Tancredo also proposes a guest worker program, just like GWB. Tancredo has a few additional features to help with enforcement that I think would be good, but are not laid out in detail.
Why do so many people seem to think that you have to be for Tancredo or for Bush? Why can't you take the common features (guest worker registration, insuring jobs offered to immigrants are advertised to citizens first), add some of the better Bush features (provide incentives for workers to leave after jobs are done, fine illegals already here before they can get a guest worker visa, no preference for guest workers for green cards, etc.), and add some of the better Tancredo provisions (better enforcement of borders, stronger penalties for employers). That would seem to be a good bill, and not THAT far from what the president has already proposed.
BTW, nowhere in Tancredo's bill did I see anything about penalties for illegals already here, deportation of illegals, or denying illegals benefits or preference for green cards. That may be his position, but he didn't include it in the bill - I wonder why?
Also, if Tancredo is the hope for the conservatives on teh immigration issue, why hasn't his bill been passed? He was serving in Congress two years before Bush was elected. If Tancredo has not been able to get his legislation passed as a member of the majority party in Congress, why are so many people screaming about Bush's proposal? As I say, they are substantially similar, differing mainly in details about enforcement.