There is no question that he's in pole position, that he is being built up as the Number 1 successor. But at the same time there are several risks for him.
We have waited years for this moment and the fruit has not grown bitter on the vine.
Sergei Ivanov has the back-up role of someone who can be called upon if Medvedev 'blows up'.
They are behind on extraction, which is why they are focusing on it now, belatedly.
After three or four years of discussion of this fundamental reform, now that it comes to the crunch, there are a lot of bureaucratic interests that figure they don't quite like it.
