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.
　
我剛剛收到麥凱恩參議員打來的電話，他非常誠摯。在這次漫長的競選中，他付出了艱苦的努力。而為這個他所愛的國家，他付出得更多、時間也更長。他忍受過的犧牲，是我們很多美國人無法想象的。這位勇敢而無私的領袖的付出會讓我們的國家更強大。對麥凱恩參議員和佩林州長所取得的成績，我這里也表示欽佩。我期待在接下來的幾個月中，與他們一道重拾美國的承諾。
　
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.

我知道你們這樣做不僅僅是為了這次競選，不僅僅是為了我。你們這樣做是因為你們知道我們面臨的任務之艱巨。即便我們今晚在此慶祝，我們也知道明天的挑戰是前所未有的——兩場戰爭、一個奄奄一息的星球、和一場百年不遇的經濟危機。即便我們今晚在此慶祝，我們也清楚地知道那些勇敢的美國人明早會在伊拉克的沙漠或是阿富汗的山地中醒來——他們在為我們冒生命危險。我們知道父母們在孩子睡下后輾轉難眠，不知如何才能償付按揭、醫療賬單、或是為孩子上大學籌款。我們需要去開發新能源、創造新就業機會、建設新學校、面對新挑戰、和修復我們的戰略聯盟。