A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain. Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they’ve achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.
我刚刚收到麦凯恩参议员打来的电话，他非常诚挚。在这次漫长的竞选中，他付出了艰苦的努力。而为这个他所爱的国家，他付出得更多、时间也更长。他忍受过的牺牲，是我们很多美国人无法想象的。这位勇敢而无私的领袖的付出会让我们的国家更强大。对麦凯恩参议员和佩林州长所取得的成绩，我这里也表示钦佩。我期待在接下来的几个月中，与他们一道重拾美国的承诺。
And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage or pay their doctors’ bills or save enough for their child’s college education. There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
我知道你们这样做不仅仅是为了这次竞选，不仅仅是为了我。你们这样做是因为你们知道我们面临的任务之艰巨。即便我们今晚在此庆祝，我们也知道明天的挑战是前所未有的——两场战争、一个奄奄一息的星球、和一场百年不遇的经济危机。即便我们今晚在此庆祝，我们也清楚地知道那些勇敢的美国人明早会在伊拉克的沙漠或是阿富汗的山地中醒来——他们在为我们冒生命危险。我们知道父母们在孩子睡下后辗转难眠，不知如何才能偿付按揭、医疗账单、或是为孩子上大学筹款。我们需要去开发新能源、创造新就业机会、建设新学校、面对新挑战、和修复我们的战略联盟。
