Septuagenarian John McCain on Wednesday sealed the Republican Presidential nomination in a largely one sided race with victories in all the four states at stake on Super Tuesday II, staging a remarkable return from wilderness eight years after losing a bid to US President George W Bush.
"It is a very humbling thing," said McCain, a former Vietnam war veteran who spent over five years as a POW, after surpassing the magic number of 1,191 delegates, while his closest rival former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee pulled out of the race.
"I extended to him (McCain) not only my congratulations, but my commitment to him and to the party to do everything possible to unite our party," Huckabee, who went into the four contests with just 257 delegates, said.
The victory of 71-year-old McCain marks an unusual end to the Republican White House race which started with at least 12 candidates in fray, with no clear favourites.
Faced with perpetual funding problems, McCain's comeback march started in New Hampshire and continued with hard-fought wins in South Carolina, Florida and a slew of delegate-rich states on Super Tuesday (February 5), which assured him the nomination.
The contest for the November 4, 2008 presidential elections 'begins tonight', McCain, who criticised Bush's 'failed tactics' in Iraq, told cheering supporters.
The former navy pilot said while he will not get a chance to're-make' the Iraq decision as the US President, he will seek 'swiftest possible conclusion' to the war without exacerbating the situation in battle-ravaged country and the region.
Image: Senator John McCain acknowledges the crowd along with wife Cindy before a town hall meeting at Goode Company Barbeque in Houston, Texas.
Reportage: PTI | Photograph: Dave Einsel/Getty Images
