The US, concerned with ensuring stability in case of a transition to a new government, is keeping silent about its preference for Musharraf to remain head of both the government and the army. The Bush administration is slowly recognizing that for a Pakistani leader to be an effective counterterrorism ally, he or she must have a modicum of legitimacy.
但是，他的选择余地正在极度缩小。美国担心向新政府过渡如何确保稳定，因此对于其希望穆沙拉夫继续担任政府和军队的首脑保持缄默。布什政府正在慢慢地认识到，要想让巴基斯坦领导人成为有效的反恐同盟，他或她就必须拥有哪怕是一点的合法性。这两位文官领导人或许马上就会相互竞争，看谁更为反穆沙拉夫。即使是本拉登也感觉到加剧混乱以及赢得大众支持的机会，他公布录像带呼吁对穆沙拉夫进行圣战。