Alex Salmond Concedes With These Impossible Words: 'We Shall Go Forward, As One Nation'

Alex Salmond conceded just after 6 a.m. this morning (1 a.m. ET), admitting that "Scotland has, by a majority, decided at this stage not to become an independent country," and called on all parties to respect the vote.

"5%, 1.6 million of our fellow citizens voting for independence… I don't think any of us, entering politics, would have thought such a thing credible or possible.

"We shall go forward, as one nation."

That is an incredible thing to hear coming from Salmond's lips. He has dedicated his entire life to Scottish independence. Now, he knows it will never happen.

Credit to him: It must have been the hardest thing for him to say aloud.

He did the right thing.

Salmond gave no indication that the Scottish nationalists would be letting up their pressure. He slammed what he described as fear-mongering by the "Westminster elite," pushing for rapid further devolution of powers to Scotland.