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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2008 > November > 05 > Entry
McCain’s concession speech
As promised, here is the text of Republican John McCain’s concession speech Tuesday in Phoenix, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions and courtesy of the Associated Press:
MCCAIN: Thank you. Thank you, my friends. Thank you for coming here on this beautiful Arizona evening.
My friends, we have — we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly.
A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Senator Barack Obama to congratulate him.
(BOOING)
Please. To congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love.
In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.
This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.
I’ve always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too.
But we both recognize that, though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation’s reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound.
A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt’s invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters.
America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States.
Let there be no reason now … Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.
Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer him my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day. Though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise.
Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain.
These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.
I urge all Americans … I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.
Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.
It is natural. It’s natural, tonight, to feel some disappointment. But tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again. We fought — we fought as hard as we could. And though we feel short, the failure is mine, not yours.
AUDIENCE: No!
MCCAIN: I am so…
AUDIENCE: (CHANTING)
MCCAIN: I am so deeply grateful to all of you for the great honor of your support and for all you have done for me. I wish the outcome had been different, my friends.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We do, too (OFF-MIKE)
MCCAIN: The road was a difficult one from the outset, but your support and friendship never wavered. I cannot adequately express how deeply indebted I am to you.
I’m especially grateful to my wife, Cindy, my children, my dear mother … my dear mother and all my family, and to the many old and dear friends who have stood by my side through the many ups and downs of this long campaign.
I have always been a fortunate man, and never more so for the love and encouragement you have given me.
You know, campaigns are often harder on a candidate’s family than on the candidate, and that’s been true in this campaign.
All I can offer in compensation is my love and gratitude and the promise of more peaceful years ahead.
I am also — I am also, of course, very thankful to Governor Sarah Palin, one of the best campaigners I’ve ever seen … one of the best campaigners I have ever seen, and an impressive new voice in our party for reform and the principles that have always been our greatest strength … her husband Todd and their five beautiful children … for their tireless dedication to our cause, and the courage and grace they showed in the rough and tumble of a presidential campaign.
We can all look forward with great interest to her future service to Alaska, the Republican Party and our country.
To all my campaign comrades, from Rick Davis and Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter, to every last volunteer who fought so hard and valiantly, month after month, in what at times seemed to be the most challenged campaign in modern times, thank you so much. A lost election will never mean more to me than the privilege of your faith and friendship.
I don’t know — I don’t know what more we could have done to try to win this election. I’ll leave that to others to determine. Every candidate makes mistakes, and I’m sure I made my share of them. But I won’t spend a moment of the future regretting what might have been.
This campaign was and will remain the great honor of my life, and my heart is filled with nothing but gratitude for the experience and to the American people for giving me a fair hearing before deciding that Senator Obama and my old friend Senator Joe Biden should have the honor of leading us for the next four years.
(BOOING)
Please. Please.
I would not — I would not be an American worthy of the name should I regret a fate that has allowed me the extraordinary privilege of serving this country for a half a century.
Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much. And tonight, I remain her servant. That is blessing enough for anyone, and I thank the people of Arizona for it.
AUDIENCE: USA. USA. USA. USA.
MCCAIN: Tonight — tonight, more than any night, I hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens, whether they supported me or Senator Obama — whether they supported me or Senator Obama.
I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here.
Americans never quit. We never surrender.
We never hide from history. We make history.
Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you all very much.
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment |
Comments
By Savanation
November 9, 2008 1:54 PM | Link to this
“And he showed particular courage in picking a qualified woman for his VP spot.” (Ethel) Ah, Ethel, you’re kidding right? Among the seventy five or so reasons McCain lost, the biggest reason would be his stupidity in picking a completely unqualified person, male or female, as his running mate. And Ethel says: “And now it is time to hold President Elect Obama’s accountable to do what he has promised.”(Ethel) Not that I have any doubt as to the ability of President Obama to accomplish exactly what we says he will do, I can hardly believe the gall of someone who never held President Bush in any way accountable for his malfeasance to say that “now is the time to hold President Obama accountable”. “when they are taxing, spending, and borrowing excessively?”(Ethel) Ethel never fails to fascinate me. With her total lack of understanding as to what has happened in the past eight years. Or fifty years for all I know. The party which has played immoral games with the tax system, has spent like drunken sailors on a thirty day shore leave, and borrowed so much(our grandchildren and great grandchildren will be paying ion the interest for 50 years) from China and Japan and anyone else in the world who saw the Bush Administration as an easy mark, was the party of Bush and McCain and Boehner and Ethel and TRS. ” Looking forward to Gov. Palin’s campaign against President Obama in 2012!”(Ethel) Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, So am I!!!!!!By Ethel S.
November 7, 2008 1:05 PM | Link to this
Jim: Why are you still bringing all these petty things about what Gov. Palin said on the campaign trail? I did not plan to bring up that Sen. Obama said there were 57 states and Sen. Biden said that jobs is a three letter word. From all indications, Gov. Palin is a decent and talented politician who has a wonderful future in the GOP party.By Jim
November 7, 2008 7:54 AM | Link to this
Ethel S, I’m hardly a male chauvinist pig. My disdain for Palin has nothing to do with her being a woman. Anyone who thinks Africa is a country, can’t name the three countries in NAFTA, and can’t name a single newspaper they read, has no business being vice President.By Teacher
November 7, 2008 6:24 AM | Link to this
John McCain is a true gentle man, full of wisdom and graciousness….total class.By Ethel S.
November 6, 2008 4:47 PM | Link to this
I thought Sen. John McCain ran the best campaign any GOP candidate could have run given the anti-Bush sentiment in this country. And he showed particular courage in picking a qualified woman for his VP spot. He truly is the last of the greatest generation and I really admire him. I personally want to thank TRS and Leslie for your marvelous research and well thought out positions and blogs. And now it is time to hold President Elect Obama’s accountable to do what he has promised. Will a President Obama stand up to his own party when they are taxing, spending, and borrowing excessively? Will President Obama really bring the troops home safely and sit down with terrorists? And will Jim ever give up being a male chauvinist pig? Looking forward to Gov. Palin’s campaign against President Obama in 2012!By Jim
November 6, 2008 4:40 PM | Link to this
Why should my issues with Palin subside as long as she continues to do dumb things. She got pranked by two Canadian DJ’s after McCain specifically told her not to do these types of interviews. She went rouge and scheduled who she thought was Sarkozy through her Governor’s office. I read online and in print today that she and McCain were barely on speaking terms at the end of the campaign. She apparently doesn’t know that Africa is a continent, and not a country, and she doesn’t know the countries in NAFTA. And to think that over 50 million people voted for this ticket just floors me. I guess it’s a testament to John McCain. Now I know why he went all out on SNL Saturday to make a fool of Palin.By Alice
November 6, 2008 3:22 PM | Link to this
McCain gave a beautiful speech. That was the man that should have beat Bush in ‘00. I shed a few tears during both McCain’s and Obama’s speeches. The whole night was very moving and I’m glad it’s over. Maybe my issues with socially-conservative self-righteous nitwits will temporarily subside now that she’s gone. And thank goodness the crazies are off the boards now.By TRS
November 6, 2008 10:12 AM | Link to this
And the nastiness continues, eh Jim. Perhaps your issues with women will subside now that she is gone.By Jim
November 6, 2008 9:18 AM | Link to this
McCain’s speech was very well done, and thank goodness Caribou Barbie didn’t get to read her script. Where was this guy during the campaign?By ACL
November 6, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this
McCain’s speech was graceful, too bad his audience was classless (i.e. booing and shouting NO)By VietVet
November 6, 2008 6:44 AM | Link to this
Didn’t vote for McCain, but this was a demonstration of class by him. Nice concession speech.By Joanie
November 5, 2008 5:23 PM | Link to this
Amen John McCain.By Lea
November 5, 2008 4:28 PM | Link to this
Speaking of graceful. A lot of us could learn something from his concession speech. I’m proud to be a “fellow American”.