Chances are we'll never get a chance to see the concession speech Hillary was planning to deliver last night, or Obama's victory speech for that matter. But the NYT's Marc Santora gives us a glimpse at the lines that Marc Salter wrote for McCain to say in congratulating Obama for what everyone assumed would be his big win:
“I want to congratulate Senator Obama tonight on his impressive victory and I salute his supporters who worked so hard to achieve their success and believe so passionately in the promise of their candidate,” Mr. Salter wrote. “And I want to assure them that though I do not have their support, and though we may disagree on how best to advance America’s interests and ideals, they have my genuine respect. For they have worked for a cause they believe is good for the country we all love, a cause greater than their self-interest.”
As Jon "Toast" Chait already noted, McCain would probably have a decent shot at beating Hillary in a general election. But you definitely get the sense that, were all things equal, he'd rather go up against Obama.
--Jason Zengerle