I can honestly say that I have never been prouder to be an American than I was tonight. Many words have been written, and will continue to be written, about the history-making events to which we have been witness. To those words I can add nothing that hasn't already been said, probably with far greater eloquence. This is truly a great day for our country.
But in the midst of our celebration I would like to take just a moment to congratulate the man who lost tonight.
Many criticisms have been leveled at Senator John McCain during the course of this campaign. Most of them were well-deserved, to be sure. o one can deny that the Arizona senator's wounds were largely self-inflicted. Nevertheless, I found his concession speech tonight to be gracious, heartfelt, and entirely genuine. Tonight – perhaps for the first time in this general election campaign – we saw the real John McCain. We saw the straight-talking man of honor, and not the politician forced to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for his party's nomination. We saw the John McCain of 2000. One cannot help but wonder how this campaign might have been different if this John McCain had been the candidate.
I am elated and excited and deeply, deeply proud by the victory of Barack Obama tonight. I believe he represents the future, and if he is even half the man he seems to be, I think that future will be bright indeed. But I cannot help feeling a slight twinge of sadness for the man who lost this election, a old-fashioned patriot whom time has passed by.