The Current Scene
     The long-predicted day of calamity of January 27 draws near, and mass protests against invading Iraq are countered by increasingly strident words from President Bush.  The outcome - war or peace - remains to be seen by the public, and the White House threatens but does not commit.

     As stated in the January 2nd Face-off 2003 Bush/Hussein Forecast, the major issue is, The disconnect between the reality we feel and the reality we're told.  With January 27 just a week from tomorrow, the focus of contention has boiled down to "proving a negative."  Bush stubbornly insists that Hussein has not disclosed weapons of mass destruction that he knows Iraq has hidden.  But Bush also claims he can't make public the secret CIA proof.  With no "smoking gun" yet found by the U N arms inspectors, there is no tangible evidence Hussein still has chemical and biological agents.

     The public and foreign governments are increasingly convinced that without this proof of Hussein's secret illegal armaments, the U S must not invade Iraq, and common sense dictates it is impossible for Hussein to "prove the negative" - that he doesn't have these weapons.  How can there by any definitive proof of a negative, such as President Clinton's famous statement that he smoked marijuana but didn't inhale?  Proof positive from continued U N arms inspectors is what people and governments worldwide are asking for to endorse invading Iraq, and proving the negative is what Bush wants the world to rely upon.

     After all, an ethical cornerstone of democracy is "Innocent until proven guilty," and only dictatorships apply the opposite, "Guilty until proven innocent," to imprison and assassinate perceived enemies.  It is ironic that Hussein's snuffing of anyone who may be a threat is classic dictator behavior proving the negative, which Bush detests, but he resorts to now.  Mercury's retrograde motion is the culprit in this logic confusion, for, as stated in the Face-off Forecast, "...Mercury will be retrograde from January 3 to January 23, harming communications clarity to again work against peace."

     There's an appearance of the balance tilting toward peace.  Mass demonstrations this weekend and building resistance in the U N Security Counsel headline the news.  However, nobody knows what will happen on the January 27 lynchpin date and what Bush will announce the next day in his State Of The Union address.

     The massive and expensive U S military build-up in the Mideast is virtually complete.  The winter window for invasion is nearly upon us, and the last thing Hussein will do now is capitulate to proving the negative by a last minute disclosure of any secreted weapons of mass destruction he holds.  Similarly, the last thing Bush will do is back down.  The Face-off Forecast states:

           Currently, both Bush and Hussein are "running" powerfully confident and
           aggressive cycles.  Bush's Rahu subcycle from December 25 to January 20
           assures he will continue to prepare for war.  Hussein's Saturn subcycle
           from December 29 to January 27 stimulates stubborn pride and resistance
           with an expectation of violence.  These influences can only block any
           chances to avoid military confrontation during the early stage of the
           January 7 to February 28 sensitive interval.     

Prediction For War
     The answer to whether the U S attack upon Iraq is inevitable is found in the next paragraph of the Face-off Forecast:

           Bush trades out his Rahu subcycle for Jupiter on January 20, and this 
           period continues until February 12.  Jupiter gives Bush desire for power, a
           renewed religious distaste for Hussein and opportunity to launch an invasion
           of Iraq, but it's retrograde motion must also harm wisdom and judgment. 
           The spotlighted January 27 date puts the Mars/Ketu combination in his 5th
           house of creative intelligence, which will stimulate a reflexive reaction to any 
           real or imagined threat by Hussein. 

     Even as there is no such thing as fixed karma in human affairs, this Forecast makes a solid prediction that war will come quickly following January 27.  Again quoting from the Face-off Forecast:

           The Security Counsel's response to the weapons inspectors report that 
           day could be the trigger that sets off Hussein, which, in turn, would infuriate
           Bush to strike immediately.  It seems impossible with such a confluence of
           violent planetary influences that a catastrophic event will not beset the world
           on or about January 27.  A U S invasion, although likely, is not the only 
           possibility.  Hussein could launch missiles at U S forces or a terrorist act of
           major consequence could occur anywhere in the world.  Bush too has other
           options, and he could, for example, try to assassinate Hussein that day.  As
           stated above, exactly how the karmas will manifest is uncertain, but that they
           will trigger a major event is certain.

Hope For Peace
     With the clashing karmas of Bush and Hussein making war inevitable, we can look ahead to a probable favorable consequence.  Bush is fated to fall in the military misadventure against Hussein.  It is Bush's destiny for disgrace to follow his rise.  Hussein too has a fated fall, and his death is predicted in the Face-off Forecast to occur as early as April.  Given the unalterable fate of these two leaders, I e-mailed one of my subscribers the following:

            Yes, my predictions are 'kind of scary,' but this is a scary time, and I
            feel that this warlike Republican power/oil agenda with all the Mideast
            problems is like a boil that needs to be lanced.  When both Bush and Hussein
            fall, there may be a chance for productive peace.

     There are tremendous risks, of course, in this final Face-off.  Warfare could escalate beyond Iraq.  Mideast oil could be cutoff.  Hussein could most certainly use weapons of mass destruction, or some other demonic terrorism (such as suicide bombers again), against the U S "homeland," our military forces or Israel.  In dealing with a madman such as Hussein, it is impossible to predict how he may act, beyond the generality of vicious brutality.  All that can be hoped is a quick war discrediting Bush and ending Hussein's rule and his life.

     Hopefully, calmer heads in the U S and abroad will be sufficiently alarmed by the consequences of the Iraq invasion.  Combined with the removal of warlords Bush and Hussein, a new leadership philosophy may emerge that brings into our still-new millennium the wisdom of multi-cultural understanding and the rejection of war.  Yes, peaceful coexistence is possible, but the predestined final battle between Bush and Hussein must first, unfortunately, pave the road with some blood.  Let us all protest war and pray the violence is short and suffering minimized.