Bush, realistic:

We can also expect that the elections will be followed by days of uncertainty. We may not know for certain who’s won the elections until the early part of January — and that’s important for our citizens to understand. It’s going to take a while. It’s also going to take a while for them to form a government. The work ahead will require patience of the Iraqi people, and require our patience, as well. Yet we must remember that a free Iraq is in our interests, because a free Iraq will be a beacon of hope. And as the Middle East grows in liberty, the American people will become safer and our nation will be more secure.