The Crawford Cowboy Bags the Butcher of Baghdad
By Judi Vitale

It's official- we're going to war! No, this isn't the latest news flash from CNN, it's just lil' ole me going out on a very firm (and increasingly crowded) limb after poring over the astrology charts of these two saber-rattling leaders. It's inevitable. That's the one word summary on the BIG 'Will we or won't we' question. Yes, we've all heard the stated reasons why our President wants to go after Iraq- with or without U.N. support- but all those reasons have even deeper roots than the pundits' favorite motivating factor, 'finishing Daddy's business'. The truth is, Dubya has to do this regardless of his feeling for parental approval.

Let's take a deeper look at why he's so fired up for the Saddam weinie roast, and try and answer some of the other big questions like; Will Bush invade no matter what the U.N. does? When do the bombs start flying? What if Iraq deploys those nefarious weapons of mass destruction? And the twenty (or two hundred) billion dollar question: Who will win?

THE "REAL" DUBYA
His chart tells us President George W. Bush isn't the pushover his handlers would like us to believe. Yes, he really does care for his country and his people - especially the families who lost loved ones last September. But don't think for a minute that his sentimental Cancer side is all there is to him. There's no way he has all those gushy feelings of kinship about everybody. His rising sign is fiery Leo - you can see it in his wavy hair, that quasi-military strut, the way he rolls his head to punctuate his speeches with pride - not to mention that winning smile he flashes when he wants to charm us. Regal and intense, when he gets mad, he stays mad. His Moon in "fair is fair" Libra is closely aligned with justice-minded Jupiter, too, so you can bet this cowboy sticks to his six-shooters once his mind's made up.

HEY, SADDAM: WHAT'S YOUR SIGN?
Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq, is a Taurus. He was flying high and defiant in 1998 and 1999 (when he had Jupiter in his Sun sign), but now that Jupiter's moved on to make an irritating square, his luck could run out. Arrogant, rebellious Uranus was close to the Sun when he was born, and that explains why he seems to get such a kick out of thumbing his nose at the United Nations - not to mention the United States. He, too, is very stubborn about his beliefs, and powerfully emotional about defending his regime.

WHY FIGHT NOW?
Saddam's Sun and Uranus and "Dubya"'s rising sign and Mercury (which tell us how he expresses his ideas) are all getting blasted by Jupiter this month. Jupiter brings confidence, luck and inflation to us when it passes by points in our charts. It can support us in the things we do and say, or it might make us downright cocky. People who have a tendency to act out without being inflated by Jupiter's influence could really go overboard during these times. And in the volatile U.S.-U.N.-Iraq scenario, there's bound to be plenty of that to go around.

VIVA LE DIFFERENCE!
Bush's Jupiter experience will make him feel optimistic about himself and good about (most) other people. In fact, some of us astrologer types are wondering if he's already been clued in to his planetary status. Was it a "coincidence" that this President would pick the day he has Jupiter sitting on his Ascendant and Mercury PLUS Mars about to renew his sense of personal power by returning to its place in his birth chart to make a crucial speech about his views to the United Nations General Assembly? Maybe he's just that attuned to his own planetary rhythms, or maybe he has some inside information, but no matter the cause, George was right on with that date. Good job, Bushie!

With Jupiter passing over his chart in such an advantageous place, his personal expression is more forceful and grandiose than usual, and he's been able to push those hedging allies over to his way of thinking less than 24 hours after they made statements opposing him. Bush is also more prone to accepting the views of the people he encounters in his environment now. This is good for U.S. relations with the rest of the world - at least most of it.

Back in Iraq, Saddam's experience of Jupiter will be different, because it affects different planets and makes harsh angles to them. Either there will be a sudden, lucky shift in his fortunes or he'll do something wild and unpredictable in response to a U.S. ultimatum. When they tell him they want him to destroy all his "toys", this bad boy is ready to give the U.N, the U.S. and anyone else who dares to cross him a big juicy "Baghdad (as opposed to Bronx) Cheer". Change is the only way out of his current predicament, but remember - we're talking to a particularly bull-headed Taurus. It's possible that he'll restrain himself with will power that's "strong like a bull", but given that (potentially explosive) Uranus is getting supercharged by inflationary Jupiter, he's not giving up without a fight.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE U.S. GOES ALONE?
We could get a few surprises here. On September 11th, 2002 Jupiter was exactly opposite Neptune in the sky. This planetary combo creates an inflated sense of delusion, whether it amounts to diplomats seeing the world through a pair of rose-colored shades or world leaders believing they're more powerful than they really are. This configuration will continue to boost people with both idealism and delusion from now through June 2003.

Also, Neptune will fuzz things up, opposing President Bush's Ascendant the next year. This indicates that he might get hit with something nasty before he sees it coming. If the weapons inspectors do get free run inside Iraq, they'd better grow eyes in the backs of their heads. And if the U.S. goes in alone, the military might get a first-hand look at those infamous weapons of mass destruction.

WHEN WILL THE FIRESTORM START?
Anything can happen now. It's Mercury Retrograde- a slow, reflective and confusing time that will clog communications of all kinds from now through October 7th. Is this really a good time to get to the truth about those alleged "baby milk" factories and what's really cooking in there? Probably not.

While Mercury retrograde rages, Iraq might reconsider its strategy and try to avoid a war, or it could be just enough time for both sides to prepare for the inevitable. Since Mercury was closely aspecting Bush's Sun when it turned backward, this POTUS will certainly be thinking long and hard about his strategy. As for Saddam, all we can do is guess what he'll cook up next, and most of the items on his menu sound distinctively un-appetizing.

Mercury comes out of retrograde on October 6th, and by then it'll get hit up by Saturn - time for High Noon on the Crawford Corral. To top it off, the New Moon on the 6th makes an aggressive square to Bush's Sun, and he'll be in no mood for smoking peace pipes with the likes of Saddam. If he does have an astrologer, this might be one day they'd pick for a U.S. attack. It looks like Bush has other "showdown" times coming up in February and late May. He could delay on Iraq, or strike elsewhere, when those come along.

WHY A WAR?
The fallen Trade Towers and the rising possibility that (unless they're stopped) terrorists will strike again makes someone like Saddam very, very scary to most of us. It would be nice if the U.N. could get their weapons inspectors to destroy the Iraqi arsenal. Maybe then we won't have to fight. But, the way the planets are lined up, it looks like our roving war reporter Geraldo had better keep a bag packed. It's clear that Bushie's P.O.ed, and his planets are telling him that if he starts this fight now, he will win.

CAN THE UN STOP THE WAR?
The chart of the UN is getting hit all this year by Mr. Not-so-nice guy Saturn, and in February 2003 there will be a do-or-die station on the UN's Moon. So, maybe- FINALLY- the rest of the world will lose its temper- if not at Iraq, then certainly at the UN. Remember - the Jupiter-Neptune opposition, which is going to puff people up with the idea they can get whatever they want - stays with us until the Spring of 2003. It's pretty clear that ideological battles, including extremist-inspired terrorism, will be around for at least that long. Around then, (On May 30th) a Solar Eclipse (the equivalent of an earthquake in a person's birthchart) will make a mad-as-hell square to George W. Bush's Mars (the planet of aggression) - and if you think he's P.O'ed now, just wait