"Bush's ideology is that of the extreme right. His style of governance is that of a corporate CEO. He is deeply untroubled by the opposition his policies raise because he thinks that his winning personality can overcome any problems with mere political differences, depending on aids to overcome any genuine problems that might arise. . . . Pretty soon, the relatively free ride that Bush has enjoyed will come to an end." -- Eric Alterman "What Now Mr. President?", a merging of confidence with incompetence.
". . .makes it difficult to understand why the Bush administration has chosen to advocate drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, diasvow commitments to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, suspend new cleanup requirements for mining companies and rescind efforts to diminish arsenic levels in drinking water. . . . Weakening protections for clean air, drinking water and open space compromises bipartisan efforts to improve human health and quality of life. . . ." -- Mike Dombeck "Unite & Conserve."
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I think this is where it really is. The core of it. Roots that dug deep six weeks before Dubya took the oath of office. On December 12, 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court handed Bush the keys to the White House vis a vis their 5-4 "equal protection" ruling. (see chart) Coup d'etat.¹ This chart maintains as much life and power as the Inauguration Chart. Whereas, the Inauguration Chart marks the begining of Dubya's formal administration, the President-Select chart discloses who takes the oath of office and what he (and someday she) might be sans an Ari Fleischer and a Karen Hughes.
First, the chart exhibits a fixed cross:
- Asc 10 Leo
- 4th Cusp 4 Scorpio
- 7th Cusp 10 Aquarius
- Midheaven 4 Taurus
The GOP powerbase is entrenched via this fixed cross. The angle rulers, Sun, Pluto, Uranus and Venus, respectively, figure prominently in Bush's natal chart. You could say either "the fix was in," or a Bush presidency "had to be."
Next, the chart has no water. Hence, there is no "compassionate" in Dubya's "conservatism." The two strongest elements, fire and air indicate intuitive thought, but Mercury's conjunction with Pluto (an aspect Bush has natally) in semi-sextile to political scheming Pallas has more to do with secret (Pluto) political (Pallas) deal-making (Mercury) -- another form of intuitive maneuvering.
The four mutable planets (Pluto, Mercury, Sun and Jupiter) supply Dubya with leverage. Veep Cheney and Bush's cabinet have the latitude needed to back-track and end-run. Whenever Bush opens his mouth, it takes Fleischer, et al., at least three days of media spin to dig him out of an international hole. The foregoing isn't unusual on its face. All politicians play the same games and all have advisors who run interference. What is more to the point is that Mercury and Pallas are in Nodal Degree. Pallas trines the 12th house North Node (Cancer) and sextiles the 6th house South Node (Capricorn). Family (Cancer) connections parlayed into manipulative (Pluto) strategy (Pallas) secured the Bush Presidential Dynasty (Leo Ascendant). Further, it would be a mistake to gauge Dubya's intelligence solely upon his inarticulateness. He may be an "empty suit" when it comes to scholarship or driving curiosity, but what is missed is Dubya's natal Mercury-Pluto conjunction. This equates to a gut-level shrewdness. An ability to subvert, undermine or wear down one's opposition. Mercury-Pluto works relentlessly behind the scenes. Pluto's primitive survival instinct is channeled into the mind (Mercury) not so much by words, but by its deeds.
Alterman: "He is deeply untroubled by the opposition his policies raise because he thinks that his winning personality [VENUS] can overcome any problems. . ."
Bush's progressed Venus is at 22 Libra (in dignity) falling in the third house of the "Select" chart. It sextiles the Sun (22 Sagittarius) and creates a Yod with May 28, 2000's Jupiter-Saturn conjunction (22 Taurus). It is the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction "sensitive" point in the "Select" chart that functions as the dynamic release valve of this Yod. Dubya's belief that his "winning personality" will overcome difficulties is a clear denial of reality. Caught in the aforementioned yod, Bush's progressed Venus is under the "Select" chart's Saturnian sway. This is telling when you consider that Al Gore's natal Venus at 26 Taurus (Caput Algol) was the deciding factor in his loss of the presidency. Transiting Saturn hit Gore's Venus, Lieberman's Uranus, and the Democratic Party's Mercury a total of three times: before, at and after Selection 2000. Bush's assumptions aside, Venus and Saturn do not create long-term popularity and acceptance.²
Uranus' square to the Saturn point in Taurus represents political reform. What you need to know is that Uranian "reform" vis a vis politics has nothing to do with personal radical transformation. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto do not debate social mores. These planetary gods have no philosophical agenda and are not limited to either Eastern or Western thought. In mundane astrology, the outer planet "reformers" describe forces out of the peoples' control. The issues are about power, but there is no agenda for how power will be used.
The USA is experiencing a Pluto transit through its first house (Sagittarius rising chart), the first of its kind in the USA's history. The first house is associated with the USA's identity -- its envisioning through the minds of her people. The Ascendant and first house of the USA's chart describe our myths and the beliefs systems which lend cohesion to American society. Jupiter, the Ascendant ruler, now in Gemini, is in long-term opposition to Pluto. Americans are caught between a divisive break in ideologies (Jupiter) and a Plutonic subversion/erosion of cherished ideals. Chiron's transit through Sagittarius (and its 1999 conjunction with Pluto) exposes what Pluto longs to hide: a grappling with powerlessness. A confrontation with the rules of justice and fair play. Yet neither Pluto nor Chiron are invested in the rule of law nor in fair play. Both symbolize what we fear most: personal and political powerlessness.
Issues of power and powerlessness ultimately wind up on Bush's plate. January 20, 2003 (the year transiting Saturn conjoins Dubya and the USA's natal Sun) Dubya's progressed Venus will conjoin the "Select" chart's natal Mars (24 Libra) forming a quincunx to the chart's Saturn (25 Taurus retrograde). It will also be in orb of square to Dubya's natal Saturn (26 Cancer) and in square to the USA's natal Pluto (27 Capricorn). It begins to appear more evident from the "Select" chart that whatever was "hidden" (Votergate?) from the collective during Selection 2000's 37 days, will be revealed. [You may recall that transiting Saturn's conjunction with the USA's Sun 30 years ago lead to Nixon's resignation of the presidency over Watergate.]
The additional stresser, one that kicks off Dubya's nightmare, is that Saturn's conjunction to his Sun and the USA's Sun also squares the USA's natal Saturn (14 Libra) -- the rule of law. Saturn is in its exaltation in Libra, but no matter how pretty that sounds, eventually Saturn overpowers a "kinder gentler" Venus by rapping the gavel of cosmic justice on Nemesis' bench. Saturn transits and progressions demand a strict accounting. It is Nemesis' "Motion to Compel Evidence of Due Diligence." When the "audit" is completed, whatever is owed must be paid. It will be interesting to see how the GOP handles this turn of the tide, especially in light of their demands that Clinton and the Democrats be held accountable. The hounding (Saturn) of Clinton, and Starr's relentless attempts to discover evidence to support impeachment, most likely will boomerang on the GOP. The asteroid Nemesis (her meaning is clear from her name) is conjoined to Dubya's natal Sun and the USA's Sun. She will join the transit of Saturn in square to the aforementioned in 2003. [The Hubris-Nemesis connection for Nixon was 20 Aquarius -- less than one degree past Dubya's Inauguration Uranus.]
As Alterman says in his MSNBC article, 100 days "is the ultimate journalistic pseudo-event." It is too early to tell. He goes on to say that "Almost all of the president's accomplishments so far have to do with solidifying his base in the right-wing of his party, rather than in reaching out to the rest of Americans and the world." From this we can hark back to Bush's natal chart and hold our own Summit conference on his 12th house Sun-Saturn conjunction. It is manifesting as a growing isolationism of Bush sequestered in the White House, at the Crawford Ranch and at Camp David. He reinstitutes baseball on the White House lawn while Russia, North Korea, China, the European Economic Community, Egypt and the Middle East grow in their dislike and distrust of him. Seed moments? Foreshadowings? Yes. There is much out of a U.S. president's control, too. And we have seen how this is often lost on Dubya. His chart, a bowl configuration with no oppositions, makes it exceptionally difficult for him to "read" others. He can't feel them.
We already know what Bush has done in his first 100 daze. Reiterating it won't do much good. Suffice to say that we are impatient. We've forgotten that it takes time for planetary energy to explode. To play itself out. So we must wait. And watch. And remain faithful.
Can you hear it? Al Gore: "I'm for the people. They are for the powerful." I don't care what Nader or anyone else says about Al Gore. He was right.
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April 28, 2001, Starcats
Footnotes:
¹ On January 20, 2001 (Inauguration Day), the progressed Moon in the President Select chart conjoined Bush's Washington, D.C. Ascendant at 2 Leo (relocated from New Haven, Connecticut). On May 23, 2001, the "Select" chart's Moon will progress to 7 Leo, Bush's natal (New Haven) Ascendant.
²
The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction was not an isolated, limited event. It was the seed moment, the moment in which the economic and environmental issues that so divide the nation took hold. The sign and degree of the conjunction will continue to resonate boldy in charts over the next 20 years. What the USA denies or neglects in regards to Co-2 emissions, irresponsible globalism, and a failure to explore alternative energy sources will become the burden of the Pluto in Virgo generation in 2020 -- at the next Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in the sign Capricorn.
See, also Starlight News, "bringing astrological insights to the domain of politics and world affairs." This site features articles on the Bush Residency.
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