B E B E R E

From Ann Althouse this morning:

Time for good people to show what graceful winning and graceful losing look like.

Those of you who are happy with the outcome of the election, please don't gloat. Those of you who have lost, I know how you feel. I've had preferences in presidential elections since 1960. That is 12 elections, and until Bill Clinton won, I had never supported a winner. This year is only the third election out of twelve, where my candidate has won. If you're a young voter or a new voter and you feel burned, let me tell you, I was over forty years old before a candidate I supported won the presidency. You have to absorb a lot of losses in politics. Life goes on, and there is much more that we Americans share than the politicos of the right and left have wanted us to see for the last year or so. Think good thoughts today.

And, Senator Kerry: please help us out with a fine and memorable concession speech as soon as possible.

Four years ago, I remember thinking - well, the man I voted for didn't get in. Hopefully the one who will be running the country will turn out better than I think him to be. What I had hoped for actually happened (but under what circumstances!), and I ended up voting for him this year. If he'd have lost, I would have had the same hopes for Kerry. Such is life. No sense getting all worked up over these things. Stuff can't always go your way and part of life is figuring out how to navigate through an imperfect world.

***

"In American elections there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates win or lose, the next morning we wake up as Americans."

-From Kerry's concession speech (when I find a transcript of that and of Bush's victory speech, I'll post them). I agree with instapundit - very nice.