John McCain Didn't Lose, America Did

My friends, it is a new day in America. The people have elected a new President. They have chosen the first black President in United States History, Barack Obama. While this is certainly a historic acheivement, what does it really mean for America?

Today we are watching as the stock market tanks for the first time in American history in the wake of a new President elect. We see that Iran has already issued a warning to America. All of this in the first day? Remember Joe Biden's famous words about Obama being tested within 6 months? Day one is not looking good. I certainly hope, for this country's sake, that today is not a sign of things to come.

With that being said, I just want to state that I will always hold respect and admiration for John McCain. He has been my personal hero for a long time, and he will always will be. He said that running for President has been the great honor of his life. Well campaigning for him has been the greatest honor of mine. If I could go back 2 years, I would do it all over again (and maybe campaign a little harder for Hillary Clinton too:-) But it is now clear that the man that I have admired for a great number of years will never hold office in the White House. I have accepted it, but I cannot fully embrace it.

John McCain is a man who has given his entire life to serving this country. A good man. A honest man. A man who deserves respect, REGARDLESS of your political affiliation. He showed America a lot of things in this election. He showed that serving a cause greater than yourself if the greatest duty of all. He showed that "oldness" is only a state of mind. He showed that America is worth fighting for and nothing is inevitable. A 72 year old man campaigned twice as hard and with half the money as Barack Obama. In the end, it wasn't enough.

But was this result reflective of John McCain? In my opinion, no. This was a result of America's distaste with the past 8 years. This was America's decision to move as far away from those 8 years as a they could. And choosing a young, liberal black man was certainly just that. I don't mean to discredit Obama in any way. He ran a brilliant campaign. He inspired millions. However, I am sad to say that about a third of Obama's voters STILL did not know any issues when they went to vote for him. That troubles me.

The past is in the past. This election is over. Now is the time to move foward. Ultimately, John McCain was not victorious. But he said a long time ago, "I would much rather lose an election, than lose a war." Well John, thanks to you we are winning that war and will finish in honor and victory. Thanks to you. Your call for a new direction in Iraq saved THOUSANDS of lives and for that, America owes you much gratitude.

John McCain will always hold a special place in my heart. It was due to him that I have become as dedicated to service as I am. It was him that made me want to be involved in what goes on in this country. And it is because of him that I will press on. These past 2 years, I have met some great people and experienced some great things. I will never regret any of it.

To all McCain supporters, I know today is a sad day. I will be honest and tell you that I spent a good part of last night crying. John McCain has been my hero for a long time and watching his final speech last night was one of the saddest moments in my life. No one gave us a chance to win. Obama had ten times the amount of money we had. For the past 2 years, everyone said this was the year of the Democrats. But we never gave up. We never quit. We put up one hell of a fight. In the end, we came up short. But we stood up for what we believed in. We refused to lay down and give in. And for that, I thank you all. If I had the chance, I would do it ALL over again.