Transcript Of John McCain's Concession Speech（麦...

My friends, 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 on being elected the next president of the country that we both love.
朋友们，我们的长途跋涉结束了。美国人民已经表达他们的意思了，而且表达得很清晰。刚才，我有幸拨通了巴拉克.奥巴马参议员的电话，祝贺他当选为我们所爱的这个国家的下一届总统。

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.

在这样一个漫长艰难的竞选当中，单单他的成功就足以让我对他的能力和毅力肃然起敬了。除此之外，我还深深为他在此期间所取得的成就所赞叹和折服：他成功地激励了成百万上千的美国人，这些人曾经错误地以为总统选举对他们来说无关痛痒，或者以为他们对选举基本没有什么影响力。

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.

这是一次历史性的选举，我知道，它对非裔美国人来说具备特别重要的意义，我也知道，他们今晚必定体验到的特别的自豪感也是意义重大。

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.

我一直相信，美国为所有勤劳和有决心的人都提供了成功的机会。奥巴马参议员也是有一样的信念。但是我们都认识到，尽管我们已经摆脱那曾经玷污我们国家声誉的旧有的不公正很久了，那段不光彩的记忆还是有能力伤害人：我们居然曾经拒绝让一些美国人享有完整的公民权。

A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to visit — to dine at the White House — was taken as an outrage in many quarters. America today is a world away from the cruel and prideful 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.

一个世纪以前，西奥多.罗斯福总统曾经邀请布克.T.华盛顿到白宫做客并设宴款待他，这个举动却被许多地方的人认为是一种侮辱。今天的美国已经和那个冷酷、骄傲而偏执的时代相去甚远了。一位黑人总统的当选就是最好的明证。让我们再也不要允许有任何理由让任何美国人无法珍惜他们在这个地球上最伟大的国家的公民身份了。

Sen. Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer 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.

奥巴马参议员已经为自身和这个国家取得了一项伟大的成就。我要为他的成就拍手，并献上我诚心的慰问，为他深爱的祖母没有能够活着见证这一天表示遗憾，虽然我们的信仰让我们确信，她已经在她的创造者的国度里得享安息，并为她帮助养育的这个好男人感到骄傲。

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.

奥巴马参议员和我之间有一些分歧，并且彼此争辩过。现在他胜出了。毫无疑问，那些分歧依然存在。不过我今晚向他承诺，我会尽全力帮助他带领我们大家通过我们所面临的挑战。

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.

我呼吁所有的支持我的美国人和我一道，不单单是祝贺他的成功，而且还为我们这位下一任的总统献上我们的善意，不懈努力地团结起来，采取必要的妥协，化解分歧，恢复我们昔日的繁荣，在这个危险的世界上保卫我们自身的安全，留给我们的子孙一个比我们所继承的更加强大而美好的国家。

Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.
不管我们有多少分歧，我们都是同胞。当我说没有什么联盟比这个对我来说意义更为重大的时候，请相信我。

It is 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.
今晚感受到失望是自然的，但是明天我们一定会超越它，共同努力让我们的国家再一次转动起来。我们争取了，而且尽我们所能了。

And though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours.
虽然落败，但是失败是我的，不是你们的。

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.
为了有幸获得你们大家的支持为我所做的一切，我献上深深的感谢。我的朋友，我本希望结果会不一样。

这条路从一开始就很难走，可是你们的支持和友谊从来没有动摇过。我欠你们的那么多，真让我无法形容。

I am 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.
我特别感谢我的妻子，辛迪和我全部的家人，以及所有在这次漫长的选举当中和我曾经和我站在一起经历起起伏伏的亲爱的老朋友们。我一直是一个幸运的人，而能够得到你们的爱和鼓励对我来说是一件再幸运不过的事情了。

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.

你们知道，竞选对于候选人的家庭来说常常要比对他本身来得更不容易，这次的情况就是这样。我能补偿的就是我的爱和感激，并承诺未来的岁月会有较为平静的生活。

I am also, of course, very thankful to Gov. Sarah Palin, 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, with 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.

当然，我还要感谢莎拉.佩林州长，她是我所见到的最好的竞选伙伴，也是我们党内的一个让人印象深刻的新声音，她摇旗呐喊，呼吁革新和坚守原则，而这些原则恰恰是我们一直以来大力提倡的。我感谢她的丈夫托德和她的五个漂亮的孩子，他们不知疲倦地为了我们的事业奉献了那么多，并且在总统竞选的混战中展现出了勇气和优雅的风度。因此我们大可以兴致勃勃地期待她在未来为阿拉斯加、共和党和我们的国家继续服务。

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.

我要感谢我所有的选战同志们，这些人包括里克.戴维斯、斯蒂夫.施密特和马克.萨尔特到所有数月来持续英勇作战不辞劳苦的志愿者，感谢他们参与到这场有时看似当代史上最具挑战性的选战当中--非常感谢你们。这场选战虽然失败了，我却只有感受到其中的恩典-它使我能够有幸获得你们的信赖和友情。

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.
我不知道我们过去什么没做到以至于打输了这场选战。我将把这个问题留给别人去评说。每一个候选人都会犯错误，我相信我也不例外。但是我不会把未来的时光花费在为过去的失误而懊悔上。


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.
能够参加这次选战是我过去的一生当中的一项伟大的荣耀，将来也仍然是。我的心中充满的只有感激，为了从中获得的经验而感谢，也感谢美国人民，在决定把领导我们经历接下去的四年的荣誉交给奥巴马参议员和我的老朋友乔.拜登参议员之前，能够给我一个公平的机会聆听我的声音。

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.
命运允许我能够有享有为这个国家服务半个世纪的特权，如果我为这样的命运而感到遗憾，我就不配称为美国人。今天（和今天以前），我是这个我所爱的国家的最高职位的候选人。今晚（和以后），我仍将做她的仆人。对于任何人来说这都是很大的恩典，为此我感谢亚利桑那州的人民。

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, I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president.
今晚-今晚，甚于别的夜晚的是，我的心中除了对这个国家和它的公民的爱没有别的，不管这些人支持我还是奥巴马参议员，我祝愿这个先前是我的对手而将来是我的总统的人一切顺利。

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.
我呼吁所有的美国人，和我在这次选战当中一样，不要在目前的困境当中绝望，总是相信美国是充满希望而伟大的，因为没有什么是可以避免的。

Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history. Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless America.
美国人从来不会放弃，我们也从来不会屈服。我们从来不逃避历史，我们创造历史，谢谢你们，愿上帝赐福给你们，也赐福给美国。