And not a minute too soon, most might suggest.

Although Delay insisted he was not a part of the Abramoff investigation, connections between them are flying around. Crooks and Liars has some interesting video showing their mutual admiration society.

So what do the planets say about Tom Delay? (Check out the original profile here.) Last year transiting Mars (aggression, individuality) made a challenging aspect to Pluto (power issues) in Delay’s chart. Mars/Pluto cycles deal with matters of power, domination aggression, and with the challenging aspects there tends to be power conflicts and eruptions that can end associations and positions of power. That cycle completed in Decemer, but at the same time transiting Saturn (restriction, disappointment) hit Delay’s Pluto (personal power, obsessions) first in November, and completing this cycle in July. Saturn/Pluto events can be very destabilizing, as with Pluto we come face to face with the god of the underworld and have to answer for our behavior.

Beginning in December Jupiter (abundance, opportunity) began a harmonious cycle with Venus, initiating a fortunate period for his interactions with others which could assist him. However, at the same time Jupiter began a challenging cycle (square – 90 degrees) with Pluto. During the challenging cycles we tend to get the worst manifestations of the planetary energies, and the Jupiter/Pluto squares create a reckless combination of Jupiter’s bravado and Pluto’s compulsions.

Beginning in March, transiting Chiron will make a square to Delay’s natal Chiron. Chiron is the wounded healer, and when it makes a challenging aspect to Chiron in our natal charts it can bring about a very challenging period where any buried painful emotions can come to the surface. Ideally, we navigate this transit by becoming more aware of emotions from which we have been hiding, but frequently people don’t want to deal with these things and continue trying to hide, in which case illness and disease is likely to erupt. This is a similar transit to the one that Ariel Sharon is currently experiencing. Delay has a history of alcohol abuse, and we are likely to see this increase over the next few months.

All in all, the next year is a difficult one for Delay and I predict we will see him fade from public view.