*La Shawn exhales…* 
From My Way News:
President Bush won a second term from a divided and anxious nation, his promise of steady, strong wartime leadership trumping John Kerry’s fresh-start approach to Iraq and joblessness. After a long, tense night of vote counting, the Democrat called Bush Wednesday to concede Ohio and the presidency, The Associated Press learned.Kerry ended his quest, concluding one of the most expensive and bitterly contested races on record, with a call to the president shortly after 11 a.m. EST, according to two officials familiar with the conversation.
The victory gave Bush four more years to pursue the war on terror and a conservative, tax-cutting agenda – and probably the opportunity to name one or more justices to an aging Supreme Court.
He also will preside over expanded Republican majorities in Congress.
“Congratulations, Mr. President,” Kerry said in the conversation described by sources as lasting less than five minutes. One of the sources was Republican, the other a Democrat.
I stand corrected. John Kerry accepted defeat like a man. Now let’s get down to business. There is still much work to do for America.
Around the blogosphere: Power Line, Michelle Malkin, INDC Journal, Michael King , Protein Wisdom. You know, I wondered what would become of Blogs For Bush had Kerry won. No more thoughts about that!
Update: Page loading may be a little slow. I’m getting a Google-lanche from people looking for “Kerry Concession Speech” and variations on the theme. They’re hitting this page.
Rush Limbaugh (paraphrase): The same media who loves Kerry and did everything they could to help his campaign are the same media who caused him great embarrassment with their faulty and fraudulent exit polls.
Update II: News flash: George Bush is the president of the United States.
Washington Post (reg. req.): “Four years later, it is still a divided country — perhaps more sullenly than ever — but as a long election night bled into morning the evidence was clear that it is becoming a more Republican one.”
“Republican Congress Set to Push Bush Agenda” (Source)
Update III: From a concerned reader:
Your pitiful attempt at humor over one of our country’s toughest election results is appalling. Kerry had every opportunity to attempt to await the provisional & military ballot results and hold up the election and he did indeed take the high road.It is attitudes like yours that will lead our country further into
division and negativity.You should be ashamed of yourself.
Signed “Susanna”
Update IV: Dave, a Democrat, has some advice for his party. (Hat tip: Dean’s World)
See Michael Bowen’s no-gloat post.
Update V: Very nice post by liberal blogger and writer, Marc Cooper. You’ll object to some things, but the whole piece is quite insightful. Read it and take it in.
Juliette attended an election night party with other bloggers. Her assessment of Dan Rather, Ed Bradley and Lesley Stahl is too funny. And too true.
Check out Red America.
