GOP nominee thanks friends and fans for chance to serve America

By Jill Zuckman

Nov. 5, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune News Service delivered by Newstex) -- PHOENIX -- The mood was subdued -- a little bittersweet, a little emotional -- for Sen. John McCain and the family and friends who had accompanied him around the country for almost two years in his quest for the presidency.

On Tuesday, he campaigned to the finish line, visiting Grand Junction, Colo., and Albuquerque, N.M., before settling into his condo here to watch the returns that brought his defeat.

An aborted initial landing attempt at the Albuquerque airport -- with his plane's wings tipping back and forth -- served as an uncomfortable metaphor for a long, hard campaign that never seemed to hit its stride for very long before another rough patch popped up.

On the vast lawn of the Arizona Biltmore, where he delivered his concession speech to longtime supporters, McCain referred to his own effort with hard-eyed realism, saying it "at times seemed the most challenged campaign in modern times."

Still, McCain seemed looser, happier and in good humor during the final days of the campaign as he urgently tried to close the gap with Barack Obama.

"We've had a great ride, a great experience, and it's full of memories that we will always treasure, including the last one up there in Colorado where people were so warm," he told reporters on the last flight of his campaign plane as Cindy McCain and Sen. Joe Lieberman blinked back tears. "And the enthusiasm as you have seen in rallies has really been quite remarkable and quite heartwarming."

The rally in Grand Junction, with the western face of the Rocky Mountains in the distance, had the kind of size and energy that was often missing from McCain's campaign events.

Afterward, Lieberman admitted that he felt emotional as he stood by his friend at the last rally on the last day of the campaign. Wearing his lucky red sweater for the third day in a row, he said, "I'm never taking it off."

After days of insisting that McCain would win or could win the election, his aides stopped trying to convince anyone of anything. Mostly, they seemed sad.

McCain appeared determined to leave the race with his head held high, leaving any criticism of Obama by the wayside Tuesday.

"Sen. Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed," McCain told the painfully hushed crowd. "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."

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