In recent weeks much has been made of the apparent disconnect between the moderate and pragmatic Secretary of State Colin Powell and other more ideologically conservative members of the Bush administration. When Secretary Powell publicly promulgated a continuation of Clinton’s Korea policy, he was quickly overruled by Bush administration hard-liners. Other strategic disagreements between Powell and the Bush top echelon, most notably concerning the sanctions in Iraq and the US presence in the Balkans, have also been noted in the press. The question lingers: will Powell be able to work successfully and persuasively within this administration or will he be shut out from the real decision-making and perhaps eventually resign?

Using astrology to take a glimpse at the relationships between some of the major players in the Bush administration, much insight may be gained. In this first section we will look at the interaction between Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. When the astrology charts of these two men are compared, we find some very difficult configurations. Most noticeable is the tremendous competition between the two men represented by the Sun square Sun and the Mars opposite Mars. Because both the Sun and Mars symbolize aspects of aggressive, assertive energy, the conflict implied by these two aspects indicates a real struggle for dominance.

Also significant is the Aquarian Moon square Venus in Taurus in Powell’s chart, revealing a rather emotional and sensitive nature somewhat hidden by the seemingly aloof Aquarius. Rumsfeld’s Saturn falls exactly on this configuration (conjunct Powell’s Moon and square his Venus), causing a great deal of emotional discomfort and strain for Powell. Thus, the interaction between Powell and Rumsfeld suggested in a comparative reading of their charts indicates strong competition, differing goals, and a repressed and restricted feeling connection, especially for Powell.

These themes are confirmed and intensified by the Powell/Rumsfeld composite planetary positions. (A composite chart is a separate chart created by the midpoints between like positions in two charts). Here we find the extremely problematic T configuration of Saturn squaring both Sun/ Venus and the Moon which in turn oppose each other. (The Moon may be off up to 3 degrees in either direction due to the lack of a birth time for Powell.) A Sun /Saturn square in a composite chart indicates two people at cross-purposes. Often one will be more dominant and critical, the other more repressed and resentful. In any event, they will be going in different directions and have different goals. Both the Moon/Saturn and the Venus/Saturn squares indicate a stifled emotional connection and a lack of basic affinity and understanding. Hence, as with the chart comparison, we find a strained personal relationship as well as competition and struggle professionally.

Due to significant planetary transits, the Powell/Rumsfeld relationship will undergo some troubled times in the near future as well as in 2003. Saturn will be transiting the composite T-square during the last ten days of April and during the first two weeks of May 2001. There will likely be great tension between the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State during this period, though it may not be made public. Of greater consequence will be the Uranus transit hitting the composite T-square March, 2003, through February, 2004. This coincides at least in part with a converse progressed Sun square to Uranus in Powell’s chart. Taken together, these aspects indicate severe perturbations between the two men. Powell may well rebel against the repressive aspect of this relationship during 2003 and stand more firmly on his own ideas despite the consequences.

In contrast to the extremely difficult relationship that exists between Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld, astrology indicates an extraordinarily warm and attuned connection between Donald Rumsfeld and George Bush. In both the comparative chart analysis and the composite chart we find that the Resident and his Secretary of Defense enjoy both shared ideas and shared goals, as well as an affectionate and gratifying personal tie. Between the charts we see harmonious connections such as: Ascendant trine Ascendant (personality), Sun conjunct Sun (goals), Mercury conjunct Mercury/Pluto (ideas), Jupiter conjunct Venus (affection), and Jupiter trine Midheaven (Rumsfeld’s planets are listed first), all indicative of a strong and mutually beneficial bond.

Once again we find that the composite chart reconfirms and adds to the information found in the chart comparison. In the Bush/Rumsfeld composite several interesting factors emerge. The composite Venus/Mars conjunction at 26 Cancer suggests a highly charged and intense emotional rapport. This conjunction falls in the same degree as Bush’s Saturn, energizing him and moving him away from his own fears or doubts. The composite Moon/ Ascendant conjunction is another indicator of very prominent emotions and shared feelings. These men are truly attuned to each other.

Perhaps the most interesting and potentially dangerous aspect in the composite chart is the very tight Jupiter/Neptune conjunction (20 Virgo). This lends an almost magical or mystical feel to the relationship, though it may not be spoken of openly. It may contribute to some kind of inspired sense of mission or a spiritual sense of communion. According to Rob Hand in his wonderful book Planets in Composite, the combination of composite Jupiter and Neptune can lead to unrealistic risk-taking. “It produces a sense of well-being that may make the two (people) feel that (they) cannot lose.” This is highly significant in a relationship between a Secretary of Defense and a President. From March 29 through April 1, 2001, transiting Mars will be square this conjunction. May 28 through June 3, 2001, Jupiter will square it. Mars will return on June 16 through 20 and again August 14 through 19, 2001. Intense and powerful Pluto will be squaring it throughout much of 2004. Each of these transits could well stimulate the blindly optimistic and otherworldly quality inherent in composite Jupiter/Neptune. Thus, we will have ample opportunity to witness how far the Bush/Rumsfeld magical sense of destiny and shared ideals will go in their risky, unrealistic, and potentially dangerous ventures.

In the Bush/Powell relationship we find several contradictory themes. On the one hand, Powell’s Aries Sun, which seeks to assertively engage the world, is square Bush’s Cancer Sun, which seeks retreat and self-protection, implying goals that are not in synch and a certain amount of conflict in the attempt to pursue disparate aims. On the other hand, Powell’s Sun opposes Bush’s Moon/Jupiter conjunction in Libra, giving Powell the sense of Bush’s receptivity (Moon) to Powell’s core goals (Sun) and ideas as well as a convivial and expansive (Jupiter) connection. In other words, Powell suffers from the inherent contradictions and conflict in Bush’s natal Sun/Moon square. It is likely we are seeing this play out when Powell, in confidence, proclaims one policy, only to be cut off at the knees by a contradictory policy coming out of the White House in short order.

An important aspect of Powell’s brilliance can be seen in his natal chart in the T-square of Mercury, Jupiter, and Pluto, with Mercury at the T. A Pluto/Jupiter opposition brings great depth as well as breadth of understanding. Linked to and expressing through the mental abilities of Mercury, this configuration brings considerable mental acuity, substance, and capacity for self-expression. Because George Bush has Saturn exactly conjunct Powell’s Pluto (and therefore in close hard aspect to his Jupiter and Mercury as well), Bush has a dampening effect on Powell’s expression of his prodigious mental capacity and a limiting influence on his power (Pluto). But Powell’s Mercury also falls on Bush’s MC (career point), thus in many ways expressing Bush’s projection of himself in the world. And so, once again, Powell is caught in the inherent contradiction between two aspects of Bush’s character: his Saturn which represents his more conservative, distrustful, and isolationist tendencies, and his Aries MC, which moves to push him aggressively out into the world.

The real potential for conflict and a subsequent break between the Resident-in-Chief and his Secretary of State shows up in their composite chart. Here we find a very stressful Saturn (27 Taurus), Uranus (28 Taurus), and Sun (29 Taurus) conjunction. One person in the relationship wants to be free and unfettered (Uranus/Powell) while the other restrains and represses (Saturn/Bush). In the meantime, tension builds under the surface and open communication is restricted until a major planetary transit causes the whole thing to erupt into open conflict.

Given the recent lack of cohesion in policy between Powell and the administration alluded to in the press, it is not surprising that transiting Saturn is currently crossing the composite Saturn/Uranus/Sun (mid-March through mid-April). This intensifies the limiting and repressive nature of the composite triple conjunction, and so we see Powell holding himself in check and docilely following the administration’s lead. Thunderclouds will begin to rumble, however, beginning in April, 2002, when transiting Uranus begins squaring this volatile configuration continuing until December, 2003. Stress in the Powell/Rumsfeld relationship is also indicated during 2003 due to the same Uranus transit. In addition, somewhere during 2003 Powell’s converse progressed Sun will go into square of his natal Uranus (without a birth time I cannot pinpoint the exact timing of this progression) intensifying his personal impulse toward independence and lack of restriction. We can, therefore, expect tremendous tension to erupt between Powell and the administration, most likely in 2003, that may well lead to open conflict and resignation. The pressure will be enormous on Powell to no longer compromise his principles and his vision.