DUBLIN, Aug 2 (Reuters) - A gay senator who was the front-runner to win Ireland's figurehead presidency quit the race on Tuesday after admitting he used his office to plead for clemency for a friend convicted of having sex with a minor.David Norris, a charismatic scholar of Irish writer James Joyce, surged into the lead for the largely ceremonial role with the approval of 42 percent of voters in a July poll, surprising many in predominantly Roman Catholic Ireland.Read More...