Pakistan Election Poses Challenges for U.S.

Many think that transitioning to democracy, however messy it may be, will bolster counterterrorism efforts because the nation's leadership will have a popular mandate.

"The U.S. has recently started to realize that it's in the best interest of both Pakistan and the U.S. that the democratic forces should be given support as well," said Farooq Naek, a senator from Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party.

America's reputation in Pakistan has been battered this year. Radical Islamic groups have gained traction by criticizing military operations in tribal areas and in the siege at Islamabad's Red Mosque as a U.S. plot to drive Pakistanis to kill their own people.

"The vast majority of Pakistanis still see this fight as an American one, especially army soldiers who are forced to fight in alien territory against Pakistani citizens," Markey said. "They have not come around to the idea this is a battle for Pakistan's security."

Washington hopes to build on its relationship with Pakistan after the political dust settles, encouraging education reform and economic development, especially in volatile tribal areas along the Afghan border, U.S. officials say.

But the main focus will inevitably remain strategic goals that have been on hold for almost a year because of the political crisis, U.S. officials concede.

Witte reported from Islamabad, Pakistan.