From Marc Ambinder's blog at The Atlantic website:
Boy, did Karl Rove get in his gut the biases, predilections, worldviews, habits, ticks and insecurities of the national media. The first Bush campaign -- and the administration in the first few years -- consciously worked the press as simply another agent of influence. Another part of Rove's realignment theory: delegitimize, decertify and discombobulate the press; control it with psychological power; reduce its influence on the political process.
Rove in particular knew how to massage the egos of high-powered analysts, and these Rove hagiographers ought to be ready to evaluate Rove, now, in the twilight of the career. But it's to Rove's credit as a political strategist that he so deftly managed the press. (Disclosure: I met Rove twice and had an extended conversation with him only once; we never e-mailed or spoke on the telephone. I was not among the chosen few, although I may well have fallen for his charms had I been.)
An NYT look at Rove's legacy made these findings:
... Mr. Rove has to a considerable extent changed the way presidential politics are played. Modeled on his example, campaigns have become more disciplined in driving simple, often negative messages. They begin in trying to identify the vulnerabilities of potential opponents, and they do extensive negative research as they prepare to exploit those vulnerabilities early and often. ...
“The biggest thing he has done campaign-wise is message discipline: focusing relentlessly on one thing and driving it home,” said Alex Castellanos, a senior adviser to the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor.