Pakistan President Musharraf's troubles bode both good and bad for the Bush Administration. Initially, Musharraf was a reliable ally in the War on Terror; particularly due to the fact that Pakistan, a Muslim nation, was helping the United States pursue and capture the leader of a Muslim organization.

Musharraf, for a while, was able to skilfully walk that fine line between openly helping the United States in it's Afghanistan campaign to soothing over ill-feelings within it's own borders from the Pakistani people. Bin Laden, after all, was actually a popular figure there. For awhile, it looked as if Bin Laden was trapped in the mountainous region that borders Afghanistan and Pakistan. It looked as if it would be just a matter of time before either American or Pakistani forces captured the most notorious terrorist in world history.

Eventually, however, Pakistan's involvement in the Bin Laden chase stalled, sputtered and finally died out as the campaign became more unpopular in Pakistan. Rumors of a truce between Al-Qaeda and Musharraf persisted for months before finally being confirmed. Still, Pakistan's alliance with the United States just didn't sit well. Musharaff clamped down on dissidents both pro and con alike resulting in a spiralling downfall of popularity of Musharraf with the Pakistani people.

Meanwhile, Musharraff has  re-played the French-German World War 1 drama of "The Phony War" along the Pakistani-Afghan border; pretending to pursue Al-Qaeda but stopping short of actually doing so.

Bhutto's resurgence among the people can be a positive sign for the United States. Musharraf's removal and her reinstatement could lead to Pakistan taking a more aggressive stance against Al-Qaeda or, worst case scenario, she may take a hand's off policy while she stabilizes her hold on power.

Only time will tell how this will turn out.

But, meanwhile, Bin Laden will continue to roam freely through the Afghan mountainside plotting his next terrorist attack.