The History of the 2008 Presidential Election Campaign

John McCain's Concession Speech Nov. 4, 2008

Historyguy Politics Page Historyguy Main Page War and Conflict Journal--A weblog tracking wars and conflicts around the world. World Biography.net--A companion website to the History Guy. Features on important individuals from around the world, both past and present. The History Guy Bookstore-New feature of the History Guy website Biofiles    Biographical files on individuals who impact American politics, culture, business, education and other arenas of life in the United States.      Governments of the World    Pages on the governmental systems of selected nations. U.S. Politics    United States national government and politics.  What's New The latest changes to the History Guy site. About Us    Information on the History Guy, the origin of the website, along with Copyright © 1998-2008 Roger A. Lee and History Guy Media; Last Modified: 11.04.08 "The History Guy" is a Registered Trademark. Links to Site

John McCain's Concession Speech Nov. 4, 2008     Senator John McCain at his concession speech the evening of Nov. 4, 2008     From CNN, Nov. 4, 2008 @ 8:30 PT   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 Sen. Barack Obama to congratulate him. Watch McCain's speech »   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. Sen. 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 for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.   Sen. 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.   Sen. 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 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 fell short, the failure is mine, not yours.   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.   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 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 Gov. Sarah Palin, one of the best campaigners I've 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 Sen. Obama and my old friend Sen. Joe Biden should have the honor of leading us for the next four years.   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.   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 Sen. Obama -- whether they supported me or Sen. 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.

Read the History Guy Weblog and the War and Conflict Journal--New Iran War Scenario for April, 2008-posted April 9, 2008 Pakistan's Violent Political History Continues With Bhutto's Assassination--posted Dec. 27, 2007 Casualties in the Somali War--posted Dec. 2, 2007 Musharraf's Martial Law Endangers the War on Terror--posted on Nov. 4, 2007 Biography: Pervez Musharraf--posted on Nov.4, 2007 Kurds At War: Turkey, Iraq, and Iran--posted on October 22, 2007 Stormfront: The Consequences of September 11 and America's Wars Around the World--posted on Sept. 11, 2007 The Calm Before The Storm: The World of September 10, 2001--posted on Sept. 10, 2007 Mid-East War Fears: Israel Versus Syria Again?--posted on Aug. 14, 2007 France at War: French Victories and Defeats--posted May 11, 2007 America and France: A Long Relationship Spanning War and Peace--posted May 10, 2007 Cinco de Mayo, 1862: The Battle Of Puebla --posted May 5, 2007 The Long War on Terror: What is in a War's Name?--posted May 3, 2007 Turkey: To Coup, or not to Coup, that, is the question!--posted May 2, 2007 Canada's Afghan War--posted April 29, 2007. New and Recent Conflicts of the World Wars and Conflicts of Burma/Myanmar --The Wars and Conflicts of Burma/Myanmar from the Anglo-Burmese Wars to the pro-democracy Myanmar uprising of 2007. Wars and Conflicts of Yemen (1914-Present)--NEW Djibouti-Eritrea Border War (June, 2008) Wars of Iran and Persia--Lists the wars and conflicts of Persia and Iran from the 18th Century to the present. The 2007 Pro-Democracy Uprising in Myanmar--The current uprising in Myanmar. North Lebanon Conflict (2007)--Fighting between the Lebanese government and a Jihadist Palestinian militia calling itself Fatah al-Islam. bin Laden's Declaration of War Against the United States-- Long before 9/11, Osama bin Laden declared his hatred and his intent to harm America. Current Wars of the World--A listing of current wars and conflicts around the world. Military Coups in Turkey-A listing of military coups in modern Turkey (1960-1997). Comparing America's Wars Duration in Months-A look at America's wars and comparing their length in months. War in Afghanistan--Details on the origins of this ongoing war; part of the War on Terror Ethiopia-Somalia War of 2006*New*--A brief description of the Ethiopia-Somalia War which began in 2006, and is a part of the larger Somali Civil War. Ethiopia-Somali Wars and Conflicts*New*--Listing the wars and conflicts between Ethiopia and Somalia Wars of Germany--The wars and conflicts of Germany from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 to the War in Afghanistan. Iraq War: Links and Resources*New*--Links and resources on the Iraq War. Iraq War: Prisoner Abuse and Abu Ghraib Links and Resources*New*--Links and resources on the Iraq War's biggest scandal. Iraq War: Battles and Campaigns*New*--Links and resources on Iraq War battles and military operations. Israel-Lebanon/Hezbollah War of 2006--*New*--Details and analysis on the warfare along the Lebanese border which began in July, 2006! Israel-Lebanon Conflict--*New*--Background information on the decades-long warfare and conflict along the Israel/Lebanon border. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict--*New*--Background information on the long-running warfare between Israel and the Palestinians! Israeli-Palestinian Battles and Campaigns--*New*--Specific information on the warfare raids, battles, terrorist attacks, and retaliations between Israel and the Palestinians! Waziristan War----The War on Terror expands to Pakistan's Northwest Frontier! Hamas----The terrorist/resistance group now ruling the Palestinian Authority! War in the Western Sahara-- Iraq War Afghan War Nepal Civil War Wars of 2006--*--Wars and conflicts of 2006! Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com