Upon completion of the training, candidates will go to Navy Dive and Salvage Training Command (NDSTC) , Panama City, Fla., for Second Class Dive School, which is 70 training days long. The center has 22 different courses of instruction and a throughput of approximately 1300 students per year, with an average of 300 students in training at any given time.
John McCain officially clinched the Republican presidential nomination on March 4, 2008, sweeping the primaries in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island, and Vermont. That night, Mike Huckabee withdrew from the race and endorsed McCain.
In the general election, facing Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, McCain was trailing during most of the season, only gaining a lead in national polls for a period after the Palin announcement and the 2008 Republican National Convention.