Biographies reveal power behind presidential throne

One biography is flattering enough. But the second book in barely six weeks is about to be released on Karl Rove, President George Bush's chief political adviser, and this can only cement his reputation as the Svengali-like strategist behind the Bush throne.

Exactly what function he performs in one of the most disciplined and secretive administrations in memory cannot be said. But the titles of the books leave little doubt of his influence: Bush's Brain, How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential and Boy Genius: Karl Rove, the Brains behind the Remarkable Political Rise of George W. Bush.

Mr Rove doesn't look the part of the political gunslinger, along the lines of Lee Atwater, the ruthless campaign consultant who advised Mr Bush's father, or James Carville, the "Ragin' Cajun" from Louisiana who worked for Bill Clinton and still thrives in the shouting matches of the televised political talk show circuit.

That is not Mr Rove's style. He is bespectacled, affable, with the air of a university don, who looks younger than his 52 years. He is something of an Anglophile, often to be seen at British embassy parties. He is also a voracious reader, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of American history. But as a strategist, he is attributed wellnigh miraculous powers. In Boy Genius (as Mr Bush has been known jokingly to refer to him) Mr Rove is credited with sensing early the transformation of Texas, the second largest state, from Democratic to Republican stronghold.

Mr Rove is said to have tapped the hidden currents that enabled Mr Bush to gain his upset victory in 1994 over the highly popular incumbent, Governor Ann Richards. But he announced his arrival four years earlier, helping Rick Perry become Texas Agricultural Commissioner. According to Bush's Brain, which appears this week, Ken Luce, the campaign manager for Mr Perry (now himself Governor of Texas) said: "You want Karl on your side. I don't ever want to be against Karl Rove, ever."

The book also has Mr Rove telling Mr Luce, that same year, when Mr Bush was managing partner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, that "if George wants to, he can become Governor. George can be President". George did.

Having helped Mr Bush in 1998 become the first Texas governor in decades to win re-election, Mr Rove was at the helm of the 2000 Presidential campaign. His finest hour, though, was in last year's mid-terms, when he encouraged Mr Bush to take a frontal role. The calculation was vindicated when the Republicans completed a Congressional sweep. Along the way he earned a reputation among Democrats for dirty tricks – which only adds to his mystique.

Mr Rove is already planning the White House campaign of 2004. The talk is of a fund-raising drive without precedent, raising $250m (£160m) or more, aimed at turning the Republicans into the entrenched majority party. If Mr Rove pulls that off, a new crop of biographies is certain.