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麥凱恩的敗選演說也非常精彩
那一天是美國大選日。
    
  就像所有人預測的,奧巴馬毫無懸念地輕鬆擊敗麥凱恩,當選為美國歷史上第一位黑人總統。
    
  當所有的聚光燈都照向奧巴馬時,很少有人注意到,麥凱恩發表了一篇第一流的敗選演說。他今年已經72歲了,這次競選很可能是他人生中的最後一件大事。當晚過後,他長達半個世紀的公職生涯也許就結束了,那麼這篇演說就是他在歷史中留下的最後聲音了。
    
  麥凱恩演說的場地,是亞利桑那州鳳凰城的一塊空地,那裏離他的家很近,開車只要10分鐘。就是在這塊場地上,他辦過結婚時的露天宴會,以及許多次參議員選舉獲勝的慶祝晚會。
        
  我的朋友們,我們已經走完了這次漫長的旅程
    
  Thank you. Thank you, my friends. Thank you for coming here on this beautiful Arizona evening.
    
  感謝各位。非常感謝你們,我的朋友們。感謝你們在這個美好的夜晚,來到這裏。
    
  My friends, we have -- we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly.
    
  我的朋友們,我們已經,已經走完了這次漫長的旅程。美國人民已經說出了他們的決定,說得非常清楚。
    
  A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Sen. Barack Obama to congratulate him.
    
  剛才,我非常榮幸地給奧巴馬參議員打電話,向他表示祝賀。
    
  To congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love.
    
  祝賀他當選為這個國家的下一任總統,這個我們兩個都無比熱愛的國家的下一任總統。
    
  我明白這次選舉對於非洲裔美國人的特殊意義
    
  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.
    
  這是一次歷史性的選舉。我明白這次選舉對於非洲裔美國人的特殊意義,感受到了此刻他們心中油然而生的自豪感。
    
  I’ve always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Sen. Obama believes that, too.
    
  我始終深信不疑,對於任何一個勤奮努力、勇於開拓的人,美國都會給予他機會。奧巴馬參議員也深信這一點。
    
  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.
    
  但是,我們兩個也都不曾忘記,歷史上有過一段黑暗的日子,一些美國人被剝奪了完整的公民權,這樣的不公正令我們的國家蒙羞。雖然它早已成為了歷史,但是傷痛的記憶依然存在。
    
  A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt’s invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters.
    
  一個世紀前,希歐多爾·羅斯福總統邀請Booker T. Washington(注:黑人教育家),到白宮共進晚餐。全國各地有許多人,認為這是一個駭人聽聞的事件。
    
  America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful 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.
    
  今天的美國已經是一個完全不同的世界了,駭人的殘忍和可怕的偏執一去不復返了。最好的證據就是,今晚一個非洲裔美國人當選為美利堅合眾國的總統。
    
  我將盡我所能説明他
       
  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.
    
  我們的國家正處在艱難時刻。奧巴馬參議員將領導我們迎接挑戰。今晚,我向他保證,我將盡我所能幫助他,
    
  I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will 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.
    
  我呼籲所有支援我的美國人,一起加入我,不僅向我們的下一任總統表示祝賀,而且將我們良好的願望和不懈的努力都提供給他,一起構築溝通的橋樑,一起找到恢復繁榮的道路,在這個危險的世界中確保我們的安全,讓我們的子孫生活在一個更強大、更美好的國家。
       
  It is natural. It’s natural, tonight, to feel some disappointment. But tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again.
    
  今晚,很自然地,我們會感到一些失望。但是明天,我們還要繼續前進,還要並肩工作,讓我們的國家不斷向前。
    
  We fought -- we fought as hard as we could. And though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours.
    
  我們努力過了,盡了我們所能。雖然最後我們沒有成功,但是失敗是我的,不是你們的。
    
  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.
    
  我要對你們所有人表示深切的感謝,你們的支持和你們為我所做的一切,是我的莫大榮耀。我的朋友們,我多麼希望,我們有一個不一樣的結果。
    
  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.
    
  從第一天起,這就是一條艱難的道路,但是你們的支持和努力從未動搖。我無法用言語表達,我對你們是多麼感激。
    
  I don’t know -- 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。不知道我們還要再做什麼,才能贏得這場選舉。我想把這個問題,留給其他人來思考。每個候選人都會犯錯誤,我很肯定我也是如此。但是,我不會再花一分鐘,對那些可能發生的事情懊惱不已。
    
  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.
    
  這場選舉已經是、並且將一直是我生命中的莫大光榮。雖然,美國人民最後決定,將未來四年領導美國的光榮使命,交給了奧巴馬參議員和我的老朋友拜登參議員,但是對於這段選舉的經歷,我的心中只有感激。我要感謝美國人民給予我公平的機會,傾聽了我的主張。
    
  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 -- whether they supported me or Sen. Obama.
    
  今晚,就是在此刻,我的心中比任何一個夜晚都充滿了對這個國家和她的全體人民的愛,不管美國人民選擇支持我或者奧巴馬參議員。
    
  我們絕不會從歷史中消失
    
  I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. 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.
    
  對於我從前的競選對手和未來的總統,我表示祝福。就像在競選中我一再說過的,我呼籲全體美國人民,不要對現在的困難處境感到絕望,我們要永遠地對這個國家的前途和偉大抱有信心。
    
  Americans never quit. We never surrender.
    
  美國人民從來不會放棄。我們從不認輸。
    
  We never hide from history. We make history.
    
  我們絕不會從歷史中消失。我們創造歷史。
    
  Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you all very much.
    
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