In the end, Joe Biden just didn't have it in him.
The 72-year-old Vice President said Wednesday at the White House that he would not make a third bid for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
The revelation came after weeks of public agonizing about whether he could muster the emotional strength to challenge his party's frontrunner, Hillary Clinton.
Biden's announcement was the final word on whether he would try to honor a request from his late son that he take another stab at the job he first sought in 1988, at age 44.
Throughout his public hedging and personal conversations, Biden continue to ask his closest advisers if they thought he stood a chance at winning the nomination.
He spoke frankly about lacking the "emotional fuel" for a run during conversations with allies, and it never materialized, no matter how much he wanted to honor a final request from his late son.
