I noticed when reading all the posts regarding the oil contracts awarded, that Chevrons Ale Moshiri, Chief(?) for Latin America and Africa, maded this statement

For his part, Ali Moshiri, Chevron's chief for Latin America and Africa, expressed faith in his company's decision to invest in Venezuela.

"We have confidence in Venezuela," Moshiri said during the event at the presidential palace in Caracas.

You'll notice that he specifically said that Chevron has confidence in Venezuela, not Chavez. I believe most are not expecting him to be around by the time they are ready to produce oil, and are viable enough for nationalizing.

If things progress (for the love of (your choice ), let it be so), then he may very well be gone sooner than later. I doubt very much that the armed forces commanders are happy about Cubans having any control in over their forces. That goes for the men on the ground as well. Can you see everyday soldiers and tank commanders taking orders from a hard ass Cuban, to shoot their own people? There very well may be a desire to end Cuban influence and implacement, before it really takes hold.

That is, in my opinion, likely to be a major factor in any rebellion. I think it's a big mistake (yeh!!) for Chavez to that action, and may very well show just how desperate he is. It wouldn't surprise me if he suddenly took a lot of generals and commanders into custody, replacing them with absolute loyalists, or Cubans......that would be the his downfall, I think.

Pen