Bush in Retrograde; Obama, McCain Rising

July 2, 2008 — -- To predict presidential destinies, some go to political pundits on the Sunday morning circuit to guide the way. Others look to the blogosphere. Still others look to the planets, where they find reason in the retrograde, to seek outcomes from the universe in trying to conclude 2008's fate.

And what do the stars have in store for 2008's presidential hopefuls? Well, for starters, this is no Age of Aquarius.

In May, seven astrologers at the United Astrology Conference in Denver predicted that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. would win the White House in November, citing Saturn's opposition to Uranus on Election Day as a celestial occurrence that pits a stodgy planet against one of rebellion, resulting in transformation and social upheaval.

The astrological sport of Election Day predictions are nothing new. In 2000, Philadelphia-based astrologer Jacob Schwartz predicted that former Vice President Al Gore would win the popular vote but not the election.

Susan Miller, an astrologer and best-selling author, says astrologers can present the conditions at a particular time, but the final outcomes are still anybody's guess.

"Astrology shows you the conditions, it doesn't show you the outcome. The outcome is up to us. We all have to vote," she says.

"I think it's gonna be one of these really tight elections," Miller says. She described the election battle as the age-old "rebel versus the conservative," and the astrological charts of both nominees as "excellent."Arizona Republican John McCain, a Virgo, has aspects that mark him for compassion and service, Miller says, while Obama, a Leo, shows inspirational leadership in his chart and an affinity for innovation and excellence in new media.

Miller, whose online forecasts on Astrology Zone reach 6 million readers per month, says to expect game-changing shifts in the presidential race following two eclipses in August. Obama and McCain will lead their parties to November, but other politicians will emerge in new roles.