Republican Rich Tarrant got roundly thumped in his first foray in elective politics and roundly criticised for the tenor of his political ads, but as he exited the political scene Tuesday night with a touch of class.

After conceding defeat at the Doubletree Burlington Hotel in South Burlington, he took time to speak to the young workers who had worked for or supported his campaign. Here's what he had to say.

"Losing can be a difficult thing, especially if you're young ... I have a philosophy: You move on quickly. You don't spend a lot of time thinking about the past. "

Tarrant then told a story about how, after a tryout with the Boston Celtics, he was cut by then coach Red Auerbach. Tarrant said three hours later, he was wearing his only suit and applying for a job at IBM.

"You've got to move on. Looking at the past can be helpful for educational purposes. We don't look at the past for remorseful purposes. We get through that quickly. Remorse is good and sadness is a good emotion. So I want everybody now to take a moment of silence. And this is remorse. You've got one minute."

The room went silent.

Five seconds later, Tarrant looked up and said "You're done."

-- Sam Hemingway