Both Bush and Mush suffered from their ties

WASHINGTON- George W. Bush and Pervez Musharraf each suffered politically from their friendship which developed in the wake of September 11 terror attacks against the United States.
Bush was accused of looking the other way when Musharraf ruled Pakistan with an iron-fist, violating the constitution and letting loose a wave of repression. Analysts belive it was Musharraf's relationship with Bush that was to blame for many of the country's problems, including the rising tide of extremist attacks within Pakistan.
"We pretty much played the Musharraf card â€" ad nauseam â€" eventually to Pakistan's detriment," said Rick Barton, a Pakistan expert at the Center for StrategicStrategic and International Studies.
Late last year, Bush's confidence in Musharraf began to crack, when the former Pakistan army chief declared a state of emergency in Pakistan, suspended the constitution and dismissed independent-minded judges as the Supreme Court was set to rule on the legality of his October 2007 election â€" a ballot that was boycotted by the opposition.
Bush said it would be hard for him to argue that Musharraf was still trying to advance democracy if he didn't lift emergency rule before upcoming parliamentary elections.
"So far, I've found him to be a man of his word," Bush said then. "The fundamental question I have for President Musharraf is, 'Will these elections be under emergency rule or law?' Because if they are, it's going to be hard for â€" well, it'll be hard for those of us who have belief that he's advanced Pakistan's democracy to say that's, that's still the case."
Bush critics say when Musharraf started sacking judges and the like, the administration should have pulled its support.
"President Bush and Vice President Cheney backed a discredited dictator, which has undercut our ability to work with the new government to eliminate the terrorist sanctuary that has re-emerged in Pakistan's tribal areas," said Sen. John Kerry, Denmocratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Near Eastern and South and Central Asian affairs subcommittee.