Thank you
It is not a clear cut decision, as you said especially with the Moon both rising and in a succeedent sign - I have a sneaking suspicion that Schmidt would go for the Moon. We could look at both options Sun, and Moon if you wish and see which fits Obama's know career best.
We've both been tempted to use the Sun as the ultimate ruler, but I did suggest we looked at the Moon as an alternative, especially when we begin to look at his career. I'll just do a brief summary for the Moon at this point but I think any final decision here is going to be the result of our analysis of his life to date.
If we take the Moon as ultimate ruler (and Delphic Oracle has low confidence in both of them) That would mean that the Nocturnal sect planets tend to work for him, the dirunal planets tend to work against him. Mercury could go either way, in this chart it's below the horizon and in a diurnal sign but it's not aspected by malefics but does sextile the Moon and oppose Jupiter. As the Moon is in the domicile, trigon and bounds of Mercury and aspected by it, Mercury receives the Moon into Gemini. Mercury would be Oikodespotes, if we treat it as a nocutural chart and the Moon as ultimate ruler.
The Trigon Lords of the ultimate ruler will determine how well Life runs to its intended course. If we take the Moon, then the Trigon Lords are Mercury (Pivotal) Saturn (Decline) and Jupiter (Pivotal) - this suggests that most of Obama's life will be on course - that is the planets may well manifest their purpose for him. The weak part seems to be his middle years.
If we take the Sun as ultimate ruler, then the Trigon Lords are Sun (Pivotal) Jupiter (Pivotal), Saturn (Decline) and that would suggest that things run well for the first two thirds of life but then tail off in the last third. At the moment I'd say that the evidence seems to support the Sun as ultimate ruler - if Schmidt is right.
Saturn is Lord of the Ascendant either way, it's also in it's own bounds (which I missed first time round). So we have a highly determined, careful, persistant, cautious disciplined person who will keep at an issue till he's dealt with it.
Saturn is also bound lord of the Lot of Fortune - so to the extent it does manifest, he is going to be associated with that - he makes his own luck. I still don't see the Lot showering him with goodies though - it's a hard struggle to get to his goal. And I still think that the Lot ruler is Mars - nowhere have I come across a Hellenistic author transferring the 'control' of the Lot to a planet other than its domicile Lord. There may of course be assistance from Sun and Saturn, as Trigon and Bound Lords but Mars is still the Domicile Lord and the first planet that we look to for the Lot. Now in practice that might not mean there's much between us on that - it could be simply a matter of emphasis.
One last point on Fortune - it is configured to the Ascendant, even though it's Lord is not, so things that befall Obama are more likely to be favourable than unfavourable. Mars is also in it's own Bounds, so it is not without dignity - the problem really is more one of being able to spot and then take advantage of opportunities (and avoid threats) - which of course might well mean that opportunities are missed more than they should be. Again this seems to be Schmidt's view.
Saturn is in his own joy, but the twelfth is cadent. Schmidt sees cadent houses as leading planets in them to deflect their 'agenda' away from the native. Now that can be both good and bad things. If Fortune isn't going to shower him with goodies, this probably still means that others will get credit for his actions and others will get the blame for his failures - mud won't stick. That is a great asset for a politician.
It will be interesting to see how the alternative view plays out in examining his career.