[Cincinatus' Wife]

He's a puppet of "Bernard Mommer, a German-born Marxist and behind-the-scenes architect of Chavez's oil policy."

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Chavez Casts Himself as the Anti-Bush***….Since threatening to cut off oil shipments to the United States, which buys 1.5 million barrels a day from Venezuela, Chavez has been traveling the globe looking for new markets and allies to unite against "the imperialist power." He recently signed energy deals with France, India and China, which is searching for new sources of oil to power its industrial expansion.

Chavez also has made a series of arms purchases, including one for military helicopters from Russia. And on Friday, Chavez hosted President Mohammad Khatami of Iran, a nation that has a secretive nuclear program and has been labeled by Bush as part of an "axis of evil."

.... "All over the world, there is a clamor for equality . . . and profound rejection of the imperialist desires of the U.S. government. Faced with the threat of the U.S. government against our brother people in Iran, count on us for all our support." …***

[maestro]

Rodríguez has yet to appear in Houston, where local leaders are eagerly seeking any clues about Citgo's new leader. The big speculation is about a possible sale of all or part of Citgo, which is now at the center of Venezuela's political whirlwind.

? How/Where does Mexico fit into this?

[Brilliant]

"sale of certain Citgo properties..."

My guess is that they are American properties. It's kind of difficult for Chavez to nationalize American interests in Venezuela when he's got so much invested in the US.