Richard Gephardt backs out gracefully:

Gephardt, who turns 63 at the end of the month, said he looked forward to spending more time with his family. "The silver lining in all of this is that I'll finally get to see them at every opportunity, rather than when opportunities could be found.

"Jane, Matt, Chrissy and Kate," he said, pausing as his voice cracked, "are my life and to them I'll always be grateful."

I hope the other candidates do the same when the time comes.