Playing politics with Lal Masjid in Pakistan

I'm certainly no expert, but each day, the Lal Masjid siege is more and more about the politics of Musharraf. After being battered over the removal of Chief Justice Chaudry, Musharraf seems to have found an issue popular among the secularists in his country. Looking past the dire American headlines, the Pakistani press and people seem to be supporting Musharraf.

On the other hand, it appears that the Islamist hardliners launched another largely symbolic attack on Musharraf, firing two shots from anti-aircraft guns at Musharraf's plane. What sort of anti-aircraft gun fires just one shot?

Two anti-aircraft guns and a light machine gun were found on the roof....

A resident in the neighborhood, Mohammed Asif, 31, said that he heard two loud bangs about ''a minute or less than a minute'' apart and then saw a man firing an AK-47 rifle from an off-white Suzuki car passing by his home.

This echoes the find of rockets across the street from the ISI headquarters and Pakistani parliament in October, a largely symbolic rather than violent statement against Musharraf.

If they wanted to kill Musharraf, you'd think they'd fire more than two shots.

(And it sounds like Musharraf is in no hurry to see the Lal Masjid siege go away.)