21.   His decision leaves the president without a Democratic challenger, at least for now.

22.   His decision left the United States in the awkward position of defending a weapon that indiscriminately takes the lives of thousands of civilians around the world each year.

23.   Howell has been criticized for his decision to leave school early.

24.   However, the First Bank decision left Wall Street wondering whether the SEC would apply similar standards to other mergers.

25.   Indians manager Mike Hargrove is off the hook for his inexcusable decision to leave Charles Nagy in the game for the eighth inning.

26.   Lucky Stores said that decision leaves companies wide open to lawsuits whenever they fire someone with behavioral problems.

27.   No one will ever know whether different decisions would have left the vice president in a better position, or a worse one.

28.   Of course the decision leaves Banque Nationale free to submit an offer for Societe Generale on improved terms.

29.   Privately, many CBS executives expressed unhappiness with what they said was the likelihood that the decision would leave the impression that CBS is desperate for revenue.

30.   State officials recognize that their decision left the spending limits in tatters, but felt that the wording of the law gave them no choice.