Senator John McCain has been described by his colleagues in the United States Senate as having a volatile temper, and reportedly strikes out at others quickly and unexpectedly.

The aspect that is notorious for creating fire and brimstone in a chart is McCain’s placement of Mars (aggression) in fiery Leo, which squares—or makes a difficult and unharmonious angle—to McCain’s Uranus (volatility) in earthy Taurus. Since both Leo and Taurus are in fixed signs, it’s also a pretty good bet that he can be about as stubborn as you can get from time to time.

Fixed signs are rigid in their thinking and inclined to be unwilling to change their opinions very easily. Since this fixity is shown through McCain’s male energy—his masculinity—it’s fairly clear that he wouldn’t back down from a good fight.

Born a Warrior

John McCain was born August 29, 1936, at 9:00 am in the Panama Canal Zone. His father and his grandfather were navy admirals. John was raised as a “navy brat,” and true to his genes, he went to Annapolis and became a naval flyer.

His plane was shot down in Vietnam, and he became a prisoner of war for five and a half years in the “Hanoi Hilton,” one of the most vicious North Vietnamese prisons. He was severely injured when he ejected from his aircraft, and he continues to have trouble with his knees.

Imprisonment Impact

Some of his fellow senators have implied that McCain’s temper is a result of his prisoner of war experience. In fact, several have implied that he is a little “nuts” because of the imprisonment.

In an effort to rebut that suggestion, McCain recently released all of his medical records, which date back to his infancy, because he was born in a naval hospital. Annual follow-ups since his release from the navy have given him a clean bill of health. Doctors report that he has shown little, if any, after-effect of the ordeal.

Righteous Indignation

From John McCain’s point of view, his outbursts of temper are probably based more on righteous indignation than anything else. This is exemplified by the fact that he has the preacher's planet Jupiter in the moralistic sign of Sagittarius. The down side is that this placement is that one can be somewhat self-righteous and given to think his or her opinions are based on divine inspiration.

The fires of religion, love and most every emotion can be fanned to a high fervor with this placement.

Will He “Lose It” In the Primaries?

McCain has been quite successful at laughing off the comments about his temper. He has a quick wit, common with those with strong Virgo  placements in their chart. McCain has his Sun in Virgo as well as sociable Venus next to sensitive Neptune in the same sign. The Venus-Neptune conjunction is commonly associated with a high degree of sensitivity in relationships. McCain may be explosive, but would likely care strongly about any hurt feelings he evokes in others. Virgo, too, is an analytical sign, and its wit can be self-depreciating—a trait that could help him offset the accusations about his temper.

The way he is handling the temper issue is probably the best approach for now. But the question still remains on the public’s mind—will he lose his temper at the most inopportune time if he is elected president?

McCain needs to be careful during the primaries that he doesn’t just up and “lose it” with fellow candidates. Angry behavior suggests resentment, and people never warm to that behavior.

If one were to do a forecast chart on McCain, we’d see that he doesn’t have a great many transits (triggers from planets moving through the zodiac that make angles to planets in his natal chart) coming up that would exacerbate his temper. While he may be a bit “testy” from time to time, he probably won’t go off the deep end either. Keeping his cool will definitely help him in the long run.

Can He Win Despite The Temper?

It would appear that McCain may win at least one primary. It will be a squeaker, but New Hampshire may come through for him. After that, it will be difficult to get other large victories.

Considering McCain’s talents, luck and charisma, however, it’s a good bet that he will at least come up with the Vice Presidential nod, if he’ll have it. Perhaps that will be the best test of his temper. Can he play second fiddle with the grace and charm his chart suggests, or will he give in to his Mars-Uranus aspect and pitch a fit because he didn’t win first place? Only McCain can answer that one.