Hiding in the wings on that same day, however, and insulated completely from the Crusader of Freedom and Democracy, was the Avenger of Evil, whose goal is to destroy all terrorists, no matter their cause, and hence all evil, from the world. In this corner of the Bush psyche, an alliance with several repressive and tyrannical regimes, such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, is appropriate and welcome. Unfortunately, the Avenger of Evil is unaware that many of these same terrorists that he wishes to annihilate see themselves struggling against what they experience as oppressive tyrannies, and they feel that terrorism is their only means of fighting against a high-tech and more powerful enemy. Granted their methods may seem repugnant and brutal to many in the civilized world, but their ultimate goal is often understood by them as liberation from the control of an outside force, in many ways similar to the goals so loftily and grandiosely described by the Evangelizer-in-Chief.
Adding yet another layer to this sorry tale of disassociation, we discover the Crony Capitalist, the best friend of the “haves and the have mores.” This island in the miasmatic ocean of Bush’s inner realm supports all policies that succor the large global corporations at the expense of the everyday citizen. From relaxation of pollution controls, to enriching Wall Street with Social Security privatization, to treasure-laden no-bid contracts for the defense industry in an unnecessary and incendiary war, to deregulation of the media, there is not a single Bush policy that does not strengthen and enrich the corporations to the detriment of the health and wealth of the rest of us. Of course, this growing concentration of wealth and the bottom-line policies that accompany unrestrained capitalism only exacerbate the conditions of poverty in the world, which, in turn, inevitably strengthen the oppressive hand of tyranny. But the Evangelizer-in-Chief remains blissfully ignorant of the role of behemoth global corporations in fomenting terrorism and impeding democracy and freedom.
The final of the Bush inner persona, and the one that is likely even unaware of itself, is the Tyrant. With all of his fancy rhetoric against tyranny elsewhere, Bush is unable to tolerate any criticism or even any disagreement with his policies at home. Aids are not allowed to mention any problems with the failing occupation of Iraq, only progress. Protesters are not allowed within his awareness. Newspapers remain unread. And the Bill of Rights is slowly crumbling into dust under his watch. Members of the corporate-owned media are terrified to be too critical for fear of losing their livelihoods, especially after the recent firings at CBS which were over information far less slipshod than that presented daily on FOX news. With a Mafioso-like flair, the Tyrant insists that loyalty is everything and difference of opinion is punished. His concept of freedom centers on his own wielding of power unconstrained by the Geneva Conventions, nuclear disarmament treaties, the concerns of allies, or the UN.
George Bush’s Inaugural address was much like an untethered balloon soaring over the rooftops and off into the endless sky, never to return. In this speech, so undeterred by the reality on the ground, we see the powerful impact of Neptune, now very close to exact in its square to the Inaugural Ascendant. This square has been very strong during all of January, first in the Inaugural chart of 2001 and now in its successor, as evidenced by the Armstrong Williams scandal early in the month, the ongoing charade of a Social Security “crisis”, the evasive and dishonest Senate confirmation hearings of Alberto Gonzales and Condoleezza Rice, and the lofty, fantasy rhetoric of January 20. In addition, Neptune’s disturbing disconnect from reality and tendency to obscure and deceive have been significantly colored and augmented by Bush’s Jupiter return, which has brought with it grandiosity, expansionism, and unbridled optimism. The rather memorable Inaugural speech that has left the world reeling was the result.
Due to the Neptune square to the Ascendant in the new Inaugural chart we can expect this tendency to obscure, obfuscate, and deceive to be the face (Ascendant) of the administration for the next four years. We can also expect religious and ideological overtones to continue, due to Neptune’s trine with Jupiter. Moreover, a certain amount of arrogance and poor judgment will also be apparent, due to the square of Jupiter to Mercury and Venus and its proximity to the South Node.
Bush’s extreme grandiosity, imperviousness to anything negative, and over-optimism will continue through around April 4, due to Jupiter transiting his natal Moon/ Jupiter conjunction and squaring Inaugural Mercury and Venus. However, probably due to some sudden and upsetting events, Bush’s reality will shift sharply in April 2005, bringing severe and sudden jolts to the administration. This can be seen in the first phase of the transit of Uranus opposite Bush’s Mars, square Inaugural Moon, and square US Uranus, as well as the Pluto station quincunx Inaugural Saturn.
The Neptunian element will take hold of the administration very strongly from May 2005 through early October 2006 due two sets of aspects. The secondary progressed Inaugural Ascendant and the solar arc progressed Ascendant will be moving to an exact square of Neptune from May 2005 through August 2006, and the Inaugural tertiary progressed Midheaven (one day equals one month progression) will be conjunct natal Neptune and tertiary progressed Neptune from mid-August to early October 2006. All of these configurations suggest attempts to deny reality by self-deception, deceit, and cover-up. During much of this period, however, the Bush administration will also be under an array of Saturn transits, indicating that some of the more negative and problematic elements of Neptune will also be active: deceptions uncovered, trickery exposed, and problems stemming from a failure to be realistic.
Probably the most difficult aspect in the 2005 Inaugural chart is the Chiron/Saturn opposition that straddles the Meridian line. Previously, I had written that this “wounding” of the administration, implied by Chiron’s prominence, would take place during the first 9 months of the term. This timing has changed due to the oath of office being taken a few minutes earlier than expected. It now seems likely that between December 2005 and February 2007, the administration will be struggling with some kind of major failure or stressor that will leave a permanent wound on its reputation and impede its goals. Both the Chiron/Midheaven and the Saturn/IC conjunctions come to fruition during this period due to the nearly concurrent progressions of the solar arc Midheaven conjunct Chiron and solar arc Saturn conjunct the IC. In addition, Bush will have Saturn crossing his Ascendant, Mercury, and Pluto during the same period, forcing him to face some very burdensome truths about the real world and some major difficulties. In addition, Uranus will be intermittently squaring the US Ascendant and semisquaring the US Pluto, suggesting that some kind of upset, reversal, or shock to the country as a whole (Ascendant) and to American power (Pluto) will also be a part of this picture.
There is yet another face to the Bush regime, the face of the clean-up crew that loyally follows the Chief Elephant, clearing up the mess left behind. It was in evidence on the day after the Inaugural speech when the White House spokespeople fanned out to announce a collective “Never Mind.” But it seems they can never clean-up well enough to hide all the inconsistencies that tend to sabotage the Bush administration’s supposed larger goals. Although the Avenger of Evil may in fact be only a camouflage for the Corporate Crony (we may never know), they and the Tyrant leave the mutterings of the Evangelizer of Democracy in tatters. Ultimately, ringing the Liberty Bell around the world will only come through setting a steadfast example of a robust democracy, and not from brutal, bullying coercion. For many years, the United States was emulated and honored by the peoples of the world for its true democratic striving. With the growing stranglehold of corporate capitalism over the nation, and especially under the reign of George W. Bush, this global respect has become a thing of the past. No amount of flowery rhetoric or merciless bombing will suffice to change this loss.
