A JOHN MCCAIN SPEECH,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Thank you. Thank you all very much. Thank you.
Tonight, I have a privilege given few Americans: the privilege of
accepting our party's nomination for president of the United States.
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Thank you. Thanks. And I accept it with...
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Thank you. I -- and I accept it with gratitude, humility, and confidence.
In my life, no success has come without a good fight, and this
nomination wasn't any different. That's a tribute to the candidates
who opposed me and their supporters. They're leaders of great ability
who love our country and wish to lead it to better days. Their support
is an honor that I won't forget.
I'm grateful to the president of the United States for leading us in
these dark days following the worst attack in American history.
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The worst attack on American soil in our history and keeping us safe
from another attack that many -- many thought was inevitable.
MCCAIN: And to the first lady...
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And to the first lady, Laura Bush, a model of grace and kindness in
public and in private.
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And I'm grateful to the 41st president and his bride of 63 years for
their outstanding example...
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... for their outstanding example of honorable service to our country.
As always, I'm indebted to my wife, Cindy, and my seven children. You
know, the pleasures of family life can seem like a brief holiday from
the crowded calendar of our nation's business. But I have treasured
them all the more and can't imagine a life without the happiness that
you've given me.
You know, Cindy said a lot of nice things about me tonight. But, in
truth, she's more my inspiration than I am hers.
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Her concern for those less blessed than we are -- victims of land
mines, children born in poverty, with birth defects -- shows the
measure of her humanity. And I know that she will make a great first
lady.
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My friends, when I was growing up, my father was often at sea, and the
job of raising my brother, sister and me would fall to my mother
alone. Roberta McCain gave us her love of life, her deep interest in
the world, her strength, and her belief that we're all meant to use
our opportunities to make ourselves useful to our country.
I wouldn't be here tonight but for the strength of her character.
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MCCAIN: And she doesn't want me to say this, but she's 96 years young.
My heartfelt thanks to all of you who helped me win this nomination
and stood by me when the odds were long. I won't let you down.
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I won't let you down. I won't let you down.
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To Americans who have yet to decide who to vote for, thank you for
your consideration and the opportunity to win your trust. I intend to
earn it.
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And, finally, a word to Senator Obama and his supporters. We'll go at
it -- we'll go at it over the next two months -- you know that's the
nature of this business -- and there are big differences between us.
But you have my respect and my admiration.
Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are
fellow Americans, and that's an association that means more to me than
any other.
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We're dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal
and endowed by our creator with inalienable rights. No country -- no
country ever had a greater cause than that. And I wouldn't be an
American worthy of the name if I didn't honor Senator Obama and his
supporters for their achievement.
But let there be no doubt, my friends: We're going to win this election.
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MCCAIN: And after we've won, we're going to reach out our hand to any
willing patriot, make this government start working for you again, and
get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace.
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I know these are tough times for many of you. You're worried about...
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Please, please, please. My friends, my dear friends, please. Please
don't be diverted by the ground noise and the static.
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You know, I'm going to talk about it some more. But Americans want us
to stop yelling at each other, OK?
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These are tough times for many of you. You're worried about keeping
your job or finding a new one, and you're struggling to put food on
the table and stay in your home.
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All you've ever asked of your government is to stand on your side and
not in your way. And that's what I intend to do: stand on your side
and fight for your future.
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MCCAIN: And I've found just the right partner to help me shake up
Washington, Governor Sarah...
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Governor Sarah Palin of the great state of Alaska.
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And I want to thank everyone here and all over America for the
tremendous, wonderful, warm