Someone asked if Iraq would still be experiencing awful difficulties even if we had done everything right, given the state of Iraqi society. Bush said, “The politics of Iraq are going to take a while to settle out.” Bush said the Iraqi government has to convince people that a unified government is in their interest, and emphasized the importance of time—it will take “time for people to learn to trust each other.” He reminded us that Maliki has been in office since only June: “The man’s been there for three months and he’s beginning to make some tough choices.” On the social distrust, Bush said “people still believe Saddam Hussein has the possibility of coming back.” He continued, “It’s the psychology of the country that concerns me most, because he was successful in pitting people against one another.” He also said that the “criminal element” in Iraq is a problem, and that “can and will be cured when law enforcement becomes more effective.”