A report for the Urban Water Research Center at the University of California at Irvine (which is "funded in part by contributions from water utilities and other private sources," writes the Wall Street Journal) concluded that the rocket fuel chemical perchlorate is not as dangerous as previously thought.

"Matthew Dowd, President Bush's chief campaign strategist,
is not just the man who conducts the president's polling.
He also works to control public perceptions about where the
presidential race stands, perhaps more aggressively than
many other campaign aides in his position. ...
'I just want to make sure people have a realistic view,'
said Mr. Dowd, whose official title is 'chief strategist,'
in an interview Friday. 'There are highs that are going to
go down, there are lows that are going to go up. I'm not

The New York Times editorializes, "Voters should have complete confidence about their ballots' being counted accurately and ...