McCain: "The American People Have Spoken"

(AP)  Republican John McCain conceded the presidential race to Barack Obama, saying the Democrat has achieved a "great thing for himself and for his country."

Flanked by wife Cindy and running-mate Sarah Palin, McCain spoke to supporters outside the Arizona Biltmore Hotel shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday, saying the "American people have spoken and they have spoken clearly."

He conceded the contest as polls closed on the West Coast, adding a string of states to Obama's electoral vote tally and sealing the Illinois senator's victory.

McCain stressed the historic nature of the election, noting that an invitation to Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House by Theodore Roosevelt had been viewed as an insult in some quarters.

"Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country," McCain said.

Although McCain had criticized Obama during the hard-fought campaign as too inexperienced to be president, the Arizona senator said that "in a contest as long and as 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."

McCain told his supporters that it was natural "to feel some disappointment. Though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours."

McCain had been all but counted out of the contest for the GOP nomination in the summer of 2007, when his campaign was all but broke, and his comeback was a remarkable political feat.

"I don't know what more we could have done to win this election," McCain said. "I'll leave that to others to determine. ... I won't spend a moment in the future regretting what might have been."

McCain also praised Palin, his surprise choice for vice president. The Alaska governor excited the GOP base, especially evangelical voters, but critics dismissed her political resume as brief and light on substance.

Palin is "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," McCain said, adding that she and her family showed "courage and grace" in the "rough and tumble of a presidential campaign."

[eroosevelt08]

Cindy McCain stood by her man. She had a great deal of class.

[eroosevelt08]

President Bush won by a smaller margin but he said he had earned ''political capital'' when he was reelected.

[cwazywabt]

This wasn''t a Landslide......only a difference of 8 million votes......a Landslide was Reagan/Mondale.....but all you new puberty black+white voters don''t remember that eh?

[cwazywabt]

NOW BOTH WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE FIRST WHITE TEAM TO LOSE TO AN ELOQUENT AFRICAN-AMERICAN. GOOD SPEECH LAST NIGHT McCAIN. TOO BAD YOU DIDN''''T ACT THAT WAY WHEN YOU WERE RUNNING. GO BACK TO WASILA SARAH. GO DON''''T LIKE UGLY. CAN''''T WAIT FOR SNL THIS WEEKEND. GO OBAMA/BIDEN!!!

Posted by lucilioness

Eloquent....uh..really...uhh...do you really uh mean he is uh such an uh eloquent speaker with that drug uhh induced stuttering? Remove the teleprompters and he isn''t eloquent at all.....he is just another American Idol winner.....all celebrity......no experience....

[onarollagain]

Hold on to your hats; history was really made...the worst ever loss after a presidential election....wise American investors know what he is going to do to them so they are getting out!! The facts speak for themselves....suckers!! America has been duped!!

Year Dow S&P Nasdaq President elect
2008 -5.05 -5.27 -5.53 Barack Obama
2004 +1.01 1.12 0.98 George W. Bush
2000 -0.41 -1.58 -5.39 No decision: G.W. Bush v Al Gore*
1996 1.59 1.46 1.34 William Clinton
1992 -0.91 -0.67 0.16 William Clinton
1988 -0.43 -0.66 -0.29 George H. W. Bush
1984 -0.88 -0.73 -0.32 Ronald Reagan
1980 1.70 1.77 1.49 Ronald Reagan
1976 -0.99 -1.14 -1.12 James Carter
1972 -0.11 -0.55 -0.39 Richard Nixon
1968 0.34 0.16 --- Richard Nixon
1964 -0.19 -0.05 --- Lyndon Johnson
1960 0.77 0.44 --- John Kennedy

[kansas1946]

Democraps...you are directly responsible for the thousands of deaths on 9/11 and are directly responsible for the murder of innocent babies in the womb. Posted by andywahr

*****************************
Give it up. It is over. Now that the election is over, become an American instead of a Republican. Let us all work together for positive change. We have so many problems in this country right now that it is going to take all of working together to move us to higher ground. We can disagree on some issues without hating each other. We are all Americans and we all love our country.

[kansas1946]

John McCain made one of the most beautiful concession speachs that I have ever heard by any losing candidate and was superior to most acceptance speeches. Where has THIS John McCain been for eight years. This is the John McCain that I loved and supported in 2000. This is the John McCain that fought partisan politics in the senate for years in the interest of the American people. This is the real John McCain.

It is unfortunate in the current Republican party that if you don''t sell your soul to the "base" a group of bigoted, judgemental, rigid, hateful, humorless, fools, that you can not get the nomination.

Of course, after you have done that, then the normal humans won''t elect you.

"What profit it a man to gain the world, if he loseth his soul."

John McCain sold his soul to try to please those most dispicable of humans.

[Meg003]

Obama will be the first president elected by the Presidential Idol celebrity set. He was elected because he is adored by the media, and promoted by powerful celebrities and companies with deep pockets. He had a stunning lack of experience, and has released little detailed information on what he plans to do as president.

However, he has brought a positive, incredibly well-received face to America''s image. There is a warmth and a magnetism about Barack Obama that I cannot remember seeing since Ronald Reagan, another celebrity favorite. If he turns out to be intelligent and adept at managing the office of the President of the United States, and helps improve our economy and return to the original ideals of the United States Constitution, what a wonderful leader he could make.

[rbi149]

A few "thank you''''s" are in order.
Thank you to the REPUBLICAN''''T PARTY for:

-Sarah Palin
-Joe the Plumber
-Williams Ayers as a non-issue
-ACORN as a non-issue
-referring to Obama as "that one" in the debates
-lipstick on a pig
-Coal
-Last minute Rev. Wright ads that turned off voters
-"my fellow prisoners"
-McCain suspending his campaign (who noticed?)
-Socialism
-Communism
-characterizing Obama as a "celebrity"
-criticizing Obama as being "elite" (elite is good, morons)
-calling Obama a Muslim
-Generally inciting hate and division
-never having a consistent message
-NEVER addressing the pressing issues that concern the American people, but focusing on the above BS

and most of all...

Thank you for BEHAVING LIKE REPUBLICANS

[lucilioness]

McCAIN MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE WHEN HE CHOSE SARAH PALIN AS A RUNNING MATE. HE WILL NEVER ADMIT IT, BUT THAT IS THE MAIN REASON HE LOST. THE ECONOMY, THE WAR, AND THE HATEMONGERING OF SARAH PALIN DID HIM IN. AND HE SAT BACK AND LET IT HAPPEN. SHE LAUGHED AT BARACK AS A "COMMUNITY ORGANIZER", AND McCAIN LAUGHED WITH HER. NOW BOTH WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE FIRST WHITE TEAM TO LOSE TO AN ELOQUENT AFRICAN-AMERICAN. GOOD SPEECH LAST NIGHT McCAIN. TOO BAD YOU DIDN''T ACT THAT WAY WHEN YOU WERE RUNNING. GO BACK TO WASILA SARAH. GO DON''T LIKE UGLY. CAN''T WAIT FOR SNL THIS WEEKEND. GO OBAMA/BIDEN!!!