The political advisor of US President George W Bush and deputy chief of staff Karl Rove said in an interview he intends to leave his White House office at the end of this month.

An interview with Rove was published in the Wall Street Journal on Monday and the politician thought to have masterminded Bush’s election campaigns said he wants to return to Texas after August 31.

“I just think it's time,” Rove reportedly said. “There's always something that can keep you here, and as much as I'd like to be here, I've got to do this for the sake of my family.”

Rove has been a close adviser to George Bush since 1993, when he announced his candidacy for governor of Texas. After being a political consultant to Bush, he occupied key positions in the White House since 2001, when Bush was sworn in as president.

He said the thought of resignation crossed his mind last year, but after the Democrats took over the Congress he decided to stay. After White House chief of staff Joshua Bolton announced that any senior aide is free to leave the administration if he wishes before Labour Day, Rove decided to make this step prior to the end of Bush’s second term.

Referring to the up-coming elections, Rove said Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton should be nominated to run for presidency by her fellow Democrats because she is “a tough, tenacious, fatally flawed candidate.”

He didn’t rule out that the Republicans could earn another term in the 2008 elections, saying they still have “a very good chance” despite a recent setback in the Congress.

Rove hasn’t been dodged by scandals, being called to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of an investigation over the dismissal of seven US attorneys by the Department of Justice, but he managed to avoid that inquiry.

Despite criticism, Rove remained an important aide to President Bush and his resignation could represent another setback for the administration that is still taking fire for supporting the Iraq war.