Kerry Concedes Election To Bush

BOSTON -- Sen. John Kerry called President George W. Bush to concede from his Beacon Hill home Wednesday morning after a long, tense night of vote counting.

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The decision came after Kerry had lengthy discussions with campaign aides. Sources said that the call lasted fewer than five minutes. During the conversation, Bush called Kerry a worthy, tough and honorable opponent, while the senator told Bush the country was too divided.

Kerry delivered his concession speech at 2 p.m. in Boston's Faneuil Hall.

"It's a sad day for John Kerry and everyone who supported him throughout this country," said Democratic political analyst Mary Anne Marsh. "The thing about John Kerry is that he has always been a fighter, but he is also a good soldier. Good soldiers know when to fight and when to stand down."

She said that Kerry put the country first by conceding and not dragging the election out for another few weeks.

"The exit polls couldn't have been more wrong. In fact -- worse than four years ago. Throughout the day, when it looked like it would be a big Kerry victory, obviously that is not the case now. A lot of conventional wisdom went out the door, too. People thought a lot of young people would come out. They did not. They thought many of them would be for John Kerry. They were not," Marsh said.

She said that the Democratic Party will now have time to reflect on the lessons of this election.

"The saddest thing is that the country won't have the opportunity to have John Kerry as president and see what he might have been able to do. He has been a fabulous senator for 20 years," Marsh said.

Earlier Wednesday, supporters who waited for hours to see Kerry deliver a victory speech at a rally in Copley Square were greeted by the senator's running mate -- North Carolina Sen. John Edwards -- at about 2:30 a.m.

"John Kerry and I made a promise to the American people that with this election, every vote would count and every vote would be counted," Edwards said. "Tonight we are keeping our word and we will fight for every vote. You deserve no less."

With 270 Electoral College votes needed to win, Bush won 28 states for 254 votes, and Kerry won 20 states and the District of Columbia for 252 votes. All eyes remained on Ohio, which was yet to be declared, but Bush appeared to be leading the popular vote in the Buckeye State.

Democrats said that up to 250,000 uncounted votes may be in the form of provisional ballots in Ohio -- votes that are not counted until late in the election process because they have to be evaluated. Provisional ballots are handed to voters who fail to meet certain qualifications at the polling place.