美国共和党总统竞选人参议员麦凯恩4日（周二）在家乡亚历桑纳州凤凰城对支持者宣布，总统竞选失败。他祝贺民主党候选人奥巴马当选。以下是他的演说全文：
谢谢你们，谢谢你们，我的朋友们。谢谢你们在如此美丽的亚利桑纳夜晚来到这里。
我的朋友们，我们已经，我们已经走到了旅途的终点。美国人民已经说话了，他们说的很清楚。
就在刚才，我荣幸地打电话给奥巴马参议员，对他表示祝贺。
祝贺他当选这个我们都热爱的国家的下任总统。
在一个如此漫长、如此困难的竞选中，他的成功本身就足以让我对他的能力和坚忍不拔的毅力表示敬意。但是他成功地激起数以百万美国人的希望，我对此深表钦佩和赞扬。这些人在过去错误地认为，他们在总统竞选中没有影响力，而且结果与他们无关。
这是一个历史性的选举，我意识到今夜对非裔美国人的特殊意义，是他们值得骄傲的一夜。
我一直认为，美国给所有勤奋及决心抓住机会的人机会。奥巴马也相信这一点。
但是我们两人也都意识到，尽管我们过去的那些不公义已经离我们很远。但那些曾玷污我们国家声誉，使一些美国人不能享受所有公民的权益的记忆仍然有伤人的能力。
一个世纪前，罗斯福总统（Theodore Roosevelt）邀请布克·华盛顿（Booker T. Washington）在白宫共进晚餐曾激怒很多人。（注：布克·华盛顿是一名非裔美国人）
今天的美国已经完全不同于当时那个充满残酷和丑陋偏见的时代。一位非裔美国人当选总统就是最好的明证。
让所有美国人都庆幸自己拥有这个世界上最伟大国家的国籍。
奥巴马参议员为他自己和这个国家达成了一个伟大的事情。我为他鼓掌，对热爱他的祖母未能在去世前看到今天的一切表示深切的同情。尽管我们的信仰让我们坚信她在她的造物主那里获得了安息，她一定非常骄傲自己抚养了那么好的一个人。
参议员奥巴马和我有许多分歧，我们并且为此争论，他胜了。毫无疑问，许多这些分歧依然存在。
我们的国家正处在困难时期。我今晚向他承诺，将运用我的全部力量帮助他带领我们面对挑战。
我敦促所有支持我的美国人，加入我，不仅仅是祝贺他，还要献上我们的诚意和最大的努力，找到必要的妥协，能让我们一起化解分歧，帮助重建我们的繁荣，并在一个危险的世界中保卫我们的安全，同时留给我们的子孙一个比我们当初继承的，更强大，更好的国家。
无论我们的分歧是什么，我们都是美国人。请相信我，对我而言，这比什么都重要。
非常自然地，今夜会感到失望。但是明天，我们必须摆脱失望，一起奋斗，让国家向前迈进。
我们奋战—尽了全力的奋战。虽然我们失败了，但那是我个人的失败，不是你们(选民)的失败。
我对深深地感激你们对我的支持和对我做的一切。我希望结果会是不同的，我的朋友们。
道路自一开始时就是困难的，但你们的支持和友谊从来没有动摇过。我无法适当地表达我对你们的亏欠。
我要特别感谢我的妻子辛迪，我的孩子们，我亲爱的妈妈和我的家庭，及许多老朋友们，在这漫长竞选中，不论时局湖坏，总是在旁支持我。
我一直是一个幸运的人，从没有比得到你们给我的爱和鼓励更幸运的了。
你们知道，竞选过程对候选人的家人可能比对候选人本身更难过，这次选举也是这样。
我所能提供的补偿就是我的爱和感激以及在承诺今后平静的岁月。
我也非常感谢莎拉·佩林州长，我所见过的最好的候选人之一，为共和党带来了新的改革声音及我们强大的信条。感谢她的丈夫和五个美丽的孩子在竞选的坎坷路途中所付出的不倦的努力、勇气和优雅。
我们带着极大的兴趣希望她在未来能为阿拉斯加、共和党和国家做更多的事。
感谢我所有的竞选伙伴，瑞克·戴维斯、斯蒂夫·施密德和马克·塞尔特，及所有在这么多月的竞选过程中，努力不懈及勇敢的志愿者们。非常感谢你们。你们的信任和友情的重要性远胜于输掉选举。
我不知道—我不知道我们还能做些什么来赢得这场选举。我将让别人去决定吧。每位候选人都会犯错误，我相信我也犯了不少错误。但我不会把时间用到悔恨上。
这次选举将是我人生的荣耀。对这次的经历的和美国人民在决定选择奥巴马参议员和我的老朋友乔·拜登在未来四年中领导我们之前，给了我一个公平的，陈述我的观点的机会。对此，我充满感激。
如果我后悔命运让我为这个国家服务50年，我就不配是美国人。
今天，我是这个我如此热爱的国家的总统候选人。今夜我依然是她的仆人。这是每个人所能得到的最好祝福，她为我们每个人带来福祉，谢谢亚历桑纳州的民众。
今夜，比任何其他的夜晚，我的心充满对这个国家和人民的热爱，不管他们是支持我还是支持奥巴马。
我祝福曾经是我的对手，现在将成为总统的人一路平安。我呼吁所有的美国人，正如我在竞选过程中的经常呼吁，不要对现在的困难沮丧，而是永远相信美国的伟大及希望，因为在这里，什么都是可能的。
美国人不会退缩。 我们永不投降。
我们从不躲避历史。我们创造历史。
谢谢你们，上帝保佑你们，上帝保佑美国。非常感谢你们。
John McCain's concession speech
By JOHN MCCAIN | 11/5/08 2:44 AM EST
Text of Republican John McCain's concession speech Tuesday in Phoenix, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions.
___
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 Sen. 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. 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 ... 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 ... I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our goodwill 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 Gov. 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 Sen. Obama and my old friend Sen. 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 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.
