<html><body> <DIV>The Venezuelans might well be the driving force IF they have any spare production capacity. Evidently the Saudis no longer do, or at least not enough to flood the oil markets and drive the price down, a "service" they provided so many times before. SR</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">-------------- Original message -------------- <BR>From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood@panix.com> <BR><BR>> <BR>> > Last night, I saw a CBS Evening News promo for "The Chavez <BR>> > Connection", which is apparently going to explain why Hugo Chavez <BR>> > is responsible for high gasoline prices. <BR>> <BR>> Hey, I've talked to Chavez enthusiasts who think Venezuela is the <BR>> driving force behind high oil prices - in a positive way. As if OPEC <BR>> weren't just one factor among many. <BR>> <BR>> Doug <BR></BLOCKQUOTE></body></html>