THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE

In my posting of 12th Dec, regarding the present retrograde phase of Saturn, I commented that: “The outcome of this particular Saturn phase may well be some sort of crisis as we approach April, in which George Bush is forced either to become more flexible, or see the wheels of government grind to a halt.” I meant this specifically in relation to his Iraq policy.

Well so far he’s certainly made noises about being more flexible and working with the Democrats, but in reality he’s carrying on with the same old policy through his ‘surge’ of troop reinforcements. A clear majority of the population is against this. Congress is against this, including an increasing number of his own party, who are now prepared to openly oppose him. Congress isn’t going to deny him the money to pursue his new ‘strategy’ (The Republican Chuck Hagel was rightly scornful: “This isn’t a strategy. It’s a game of ping-pong…”), because then they could be blamed for the Iraq policy failing. But both Houses are preparing to vote on a non-binding resolution opposing the troop surge.

Technically, George Bush can carry on with his ‘policy’, even with the population and Congress against him. What we are starting to see, I think, is a breakdown in the process of government. In the UK, we would have got rid of the PM by now. That can happen quite quickly through a vote of no confidence in Parliament. But the American system doesn’t allow for this unless there has been some sort of criminal behaviour by the President.

Either way, it seems to be meltdown for GWB. If he co-operates with Congress, he is admitting his main policy has failed, and he will just be a ghost in the White House. And if he carries on like he is, he threatens the democratic process itself. How do you cope with a President who has become a runaway horse, a loose cannon?

With his 12th House Sun square to Chiron, and Moon conjunct Chiron, I don’t rule out some sort of mental breakdown for George Bush. I think that part of his coping mechanism is to shut out aspects of reality, which is why he is so inflexible. In order to cope in his present circumstances he is going to have to shut out more and more, maybe to the point of some sort of clinical madness. But as far as I am aware, unless he engages in criminal behaviour, there is no way to get rid of him. What happens even 2 months from now, with both Houses having voted against his policy and his troop surge probably failing?

Whatever the outcome, I think the reign of George Bush II may well lead to a lot of questioning, and even changes, to the institution of the Presidency.

The Saturn-Neptune opposition has presided over the political fallout around Iraq. The first crunch point was at the start of September, with the first exact opposition, and admissions that all was not well in Iraq began to be made. In a month’s time we have the second exact crossing, the pressure is again piling up, and we may reach the next crunch point then.

Now for some astro-number crunching, so be prepared.

The institution of the Presidency is based on the chart for the swearing in of George Washington, on 30 April 1789 in New York between 12.40 and 12.45 pm. This chart has MC at 22 Taurus, square to Pluto at 19 Aquarius, suggestive of the balance of power that the President has to work with between himself and Congress. Since last September, the Saturn-Neptune opposition has been hitting this Pluto-MC square full-on, and will continue to do so until June. It’s reality-check time, and I’d read it as being for the institution itself (the MC) rather than just the person of the President, which I’d read as the Sun (at 11 Taurus, also square to Pluto – and which was squared by transiting Neptune at the time of the Iraq invasion).

If we progress this Chart to the present, we find Prog Chiron 2 degrees off the Prog IC, and at the swearing in of the next President, on 20 Jan 2009, this Prog Chiron will be just 3 minutes off the Prog IC. This suggests that some real damage is being done to the Presidency, that will need to be addressed by the next incumbent.

The chart for Bush’s inauguration on 20 Jan 2005 at 12pm has Chiron at 27 Capricorn conjunct MC at 26 Capricorn. And the composite between Bush’s natal chart and that of the 1st Presidency (the 1789 chart) has Chiron 1 degree off the ASC in Leo. So we keep finding a prominent Chiron, whether in Bush’s natal chart or in the various charts around his Presidency.

Using the USA 2nd July 4pm Chart (which I argued for in my blogs of 4th Dec and 23rd Jan), we see Neptune in the 10th House at 22 Virgo. I see the 10th House as being the institutions of government, including the Presidency, and this Neptune points to the trust based in the President, and his hallowed position, and the illusions around that. Pluto was coming up to square that Neptune in 2003, as President Bush betrayed that trust through his lies and incompetence over Iraq, and continued to do so throughout the rest of transit. Now Uranus is coming up to oppose that Neptune, and who knows what is going to happen?

The composite between Bush’s natal chart and the 2nd July USA chart gives Neptune at 29 Virgo, 2 degrees off the ASC. So we have a repeat of the Neptune/trust theme, and as Pluto comes up to square that Neptune this year and next, I would expect to see a further and radical dissolution of his relationship with the country. At his initial inauguration in 2001, the Sun was conjunct Neptune in the 10th, a further repeat of the Neptune theme.

Progressing the USA 2nd July Chart, we see Neptune opposite the MC in 1974 when Nixon resigned, Mars opposite the MC when Clinton was having his battles over Lewinsky and impeachment in 1998, and retrograde Saturn will start to oppose the MC in 2009, as the task of re-building the Presidency after the Bush betrayals begins.

In 2008, election year, Chiron will be moving up to conjoin Neptune in Aquarius, and will actually do so in 2009, bringing together, and perhaps giving some perspective on, the 2 problematical and repeated astrological themes of the Bush years: the illusions and lies of Neptune and the damage to the Presidency of Chiron. This Conjunction, at 26 Aquarius, will exactly Square the USA ASC at 26 Scorpio.