Caught this quote from White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten in the Princeton Alumni Weekly from a panel discussion at Reunions last month. Asked about Karl Rove's influence inside the White House, Bolten (Class of '76) responded:

"[Karl Rove's] views are interesting and typically well-informed but never dispositive of the president. Now, Karl's voice on political issues was pretty darn important, but one thing I'm very proud of in this administration is that for better or worse, policy decisions have not been based on politics, and I think we have the approval ratings to prove it."