DALLAS — Even before the votes were counted last night, the writing was on the wall for John McCain. A banner at his election-night headquarters summed it up: 1,191 — the magic number of delegates he needs to win the Republican nomination.

The Arizona senator swept Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont — and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee by early evening had dropped out of the race and thrown his support behind McCain.

Now McCain, who will collect President Bush's endorsement today at the White House, and his aides can fully focus on the bigger prize: becoming the 44th president of the United States.

"He will speak in all general election terms, starting tonight," said senior adviser Charles Black.

In his concession speech, Huckabee said McCain ran an "honorable campaign."

"It is now important that we turn our attention not to what could have been but what now must be, and that is a united party," he said.

McCain's agenda going forward includes raising money, targeting specific states (and their electoral votes), refining policy positions and coordinating events with the Republican National Committee and its organizations.

In his speech last night, McCain took the opportunity to jab Democrats for trying to walk away from the North American Free Trade Agreement, which many voters believe has cost jobs for many Americans. And he painted his future opponent, whoever that may be, as an advocate of "failed, big-government mandates from the '60s and '70s."

"I will leave it to my opponent to argue that we should abrogate trade treaties and pretend the global economy will go away and Americans can secure our future by trading and investing only among ourselves," McCain said, promising to campaign for free markets and help displaced workers.

McCain also tried to present himself as a candidate who won't offer voters "platitudes instead of principles and insults instead of ideas."

"Their patience is at an end for politicians who value ambition over principle, and for partisanship that is less a contest of ideas than an uncivil brawl over the spoils of power," he said.

McCain and his team are also planning to meet a variety of challenges: the candidate's age, an unpopular Republican president and the financial advantages enjoyed by the Democrats.

"It's going to be a tough race under any circumstances," said McCain senior adviser Mark McKinnon.

McCain turns 72 in August and would be the oldest person to be elected for their first term as president. (Ronald Reagan was 73 when he was re-elected in 1984.) McKinnon called McCain's age an asset, conveying "wisdom and experience" in a time of war.

McCain will hold fundraisers this week in West Palm Beach and Fort Myers, Fla., and in Atlanta, New Orleans and Phoenix.

USA Today, McClatchy-Tribune News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

MCCAIN TIMELINE

Key developments in Arizona Sen. John McCain's second try for the Republican presidential nomination:

Feb. 28, 2007: McCain tells late-night talk-show host David Letterman he's running for president. McCain calls it a "pre-announcement."

March 30, 2007: McCain's campaign raises $13.1 million in the first three months of the year, less than other major Republican and Democratic candidates and a harbinger of financial problems.

April 25, 2007: McCain formally launches his candidacy with a speech in Portsmouth, N.H.

June 30, 2007: McCain's fundraising shrinks to $11.6 million in the second quarter. Rampant campaign spending leaves him with only $3.2 million on hand and

$1.8 million of debt.

July 2007: McCain's campaign lays off more than 50 staffers and cuts salaries in a dramatic downsizing. Campaign manager Terry Nelson and longtime political strategist John Weaver resign.

Sept. 11, 2007: McCain kicks off a weeklong, three-state No Surrender tour to boost support for the Iraq war effort. It also reflects a never-say-die attitude toward his own campaign.

Oct. 20, 2007: At a GOP debate in Orlando, Fla., McCain wins a standing ovation. While criticizing a proposed federal taxpayer grant for a Woodstock museum, McCain deadpans that he missed the 1969 rock festival because "I was tied up at the time." He was a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Jan. 3, 2008: McCain finishes third in the Iowa caucuses.

Jan. 8, 2008: McCain finishes first in the New Hampshire primary.

Jan. 19, 2008: McCain wins in South Carolina, the state that derailed his presidential campaign in 2000.

Jan. 30, 2008: Rudy Giuliani drops out and endorses McCain, the day after McCain wins the Florida primary.

Feb. 5, 2008: McCain racks up big victories on Super Tuesday, including California and New York.

Feb. 7, 2008: Mitt Romney announces at the Conservative Political Action Conference that he is withdrawing from the race. He later endorses McCain.

Feb. 15, 2008: McCain's campaign files documents with the Federal Election Commission revealing that it borrowed $1 million two weeks before the New Hampshire primary.

March 4, 2008: McCain passes the 1,191-delegate threshold needed to win his party's nomination, winning in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont. Mike Huckabee concedes.

— Gannett News Service