As reported by the French (AFP):

There could be no “instant democracy in Iraq” because “people are still recovering from Saddam Hussein’s brutal rule,” Bush told reporters.

Referring to former South African president Nelson Mandela, who led the fight against apartheid to become a symbol of reconciliation and hope, Bush said of Iraq: “I heard somebody say, ‘Now where’s Mandela?’”

“Well, Mandela is dead. Because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.”

The former Iraqi dictator, who was executed in December after his trial on charges of crimes against humanity, was “a brutal tyrant that divided people up and split families. And people are recovering from this,” Bush said.

“So there is the psychological recovery that is taking place and it is hard work for them.”

There are some wannabe Mandelas, though, Iyad Allawi is one. Erstwhile media favorite Ahmad Chalabi is another.