Presidential poll; Linda Stein suspect...

New York-WABC, March 26, 2008 Will we remember 2008 as the year of the lame duck President Bush? Perhaps - and it's not just the 43rd President's doing. (Today's announcement notwithstanding, that the President will meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin to unclog the logjam between the U.S. and Russia over a proposed American missile defense system.)

This election cycle is - most now agree - simply too long. Unless you're John McCain, who is sitting on the sidelines relishing the mince meat Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are attempting to make of each other.

The latest Gallup poll, taken in the heat of this battle and so we must view the numbers in that context, shows that 28% of Clinton supporters would vote for McCain over Obama. And 19% of Obama voters would vote for McCain over Clinton.

There are many who believe that we are once again watching the Democrats snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. A President whose popularity is hovering around 30%, an unpopular and ongoing war, and an economy that is rapidly going south - all should spell victory for the Blue State Party.

We'll have the latest from */the campaign trail, tonight at 11.

Also at 11, is the police case against Natavia Lowery for the murder of Linda Stein, the so-called realtor to the stars, falling apart?

There is some evidence that it might be. Or at least getting weaker, according to Lowery's attorney.

Lowery was Stein's assistant who supposedly confessed to bludgeoning the realtor in her Fifth Avenue apartment on the Upper East Side. Lowery said what triggered her anger was when Stein blew marijuana smoke in her face.

But the coroner found no smoke in Stein's lungs. And cops have yet to find a murder weapon. And there was no blood on Lowery's clothes, even though the apartment was splattered with Stein's blood.

Now, DNA and a drop of blood belonging to an unidentified male has been found in a sink and mixed with Stein's blood.

This afternoon, however, a judge denied bail for Lowery. So the controversy continues.

We're also following the power problems that shut down New Jersey Transit and Amtrak this afternoon. Why is this important transportation system at the mercy of these kinds of problems? And where is the backup?

We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Lee Goldberg's AccuWeather forecast, and Scott Clark with the night's sports. I hope you can join Liz Cho and me, tonight at 11.

BILL RITTER