21.   But Cardenas, who is to step down next week to run for president, was undaunted and cheerful.

22.   But most executives here viewed the move as a step down for Hofmann, a blunt-spoken and colorful rival to the phlegmatic and aloof Sarrazin.

23.   But to some critics of PDUFA, the overhaul is just another step down a slippery slope that they claim has undermined the integrity of the FDA.

24.   But viewed from Nevada, creating a single site for nuclear waste is a step down a dangerous path.

25.   But those of us who cherish natural sound as a defining component of opera and concert music recognized it as a big step down a slippery slope.

26.   But unlike other members of the House of Representatives, Boehner will not request Clinton step down.

27.   By comparison, jazz musicians consider most rock a step down.

28.   Conventional wisdom has it that a move from film to television is a step down the professional ladder.

29.   Each DNS server is responsible for answering questions about all the machines a step down in the hierarchy.

30.   Each new thought is a step down an energy ladder with a finite number of steps.