The AP’s Larry McShane writes about Lou Dobbs war with New York Governer Elliot Spitzer…

Dobbs’s ire boiled over Tuesday night when he ripped Spitzer as an idiot _ and then offered an on-air mea culpa.

“I’m the idiot,” Dobbs said. “Governor, I apologize for calling you one. Your policies are idiotic. But I have to apologize for calling you an idiot.”

Dobbs shouldn’t hold his breath waiting for a bouquet of roses (the state flower) and a thank-you note from Spitzer.

“Mr. Dobbs has clearly demonstrated that he is not interested in a real debate on New York’s driver’s license policy change,” said Jennifer Givner, a Spitzer spokeswoman. “He has repeatedly refused to offer balanced coverage of the issue.”

The Ottawa Citizen’s Caroline Phillips writes about Larry King’s appearance at a fundraiser put on by the Jewish National Fun of Ottawa…

“I was just a little kid in Brooklyn, NewYork, who just wanted to be a broadcaster. That’s all I wanted to be,” said Mr. King.

Mr. King was a hit with the audience, telling funny story after funny story in his usual folksy manner.

He recalled the time Marlon Brando planted a wet one on him during the first of his two interviews with the legendary actor.

“I’d never been kissed on the lips by a man in my life!” he said.

“And I have to confess, I can’t stop thinking about it. Sometimes, I get up in the middle of the night yelling ‘Stella!’ And I don’t know anybody named Stella.”

After speaking for about 45 minutes, Mr. King thanked his audience for “being so nice and for not giving me a plaque.”

Mr. King’s philanthropic work includes the Larry King Cardiac Foundation and his donation of $1 million to George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs for scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Broadcasting & Cable’s Ben Grossman has an interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer…

Cramer also has more opinions about Fox Business. He had the new network on when I called him late last week. He says he gets what they are trying to do.

“The babe model has always intrigued me, too,” he says.

Yes, but will it work?

“If you want to lose half a billion, in the end someone will watch,” he says. “If your orientation is not to make money and you are as stupid as wood, you’ve got your station.”

Being the upstanding journalist I am, I called Fox Business to get their side.

“That’s amazing—that’s exactly what Jim used to say about CNBC before we fired him,” said a Fox Business spokesperson. “If you’re already unstable, scratching in the ratings apparently makes it worse.”

The New York Post’s Liz Smith writes about FBN’s big party earlier this week…

I had a few moments with those CNBC escapees to Fox Business - Nicole Petallides, Peter Barnes and Alexis Glick. I asked if they had targets on their backs and were afraid for their lives. They laughed and scratched and said it was great to be targeted for Fox Business. (And CNBC could suck eggs!)

You may wonder what an ink-stained wretch like me has to say to a powerful titan like Roger Ailes? We always talk about our mutual favorite, Zachary Ailes, age 8 in January.

New York magazine has already dubbed this event “The Victory Party.” I suppose we can say that’s what it was. Rupert has Wendi and the Wall Street Journal and his children; and whatever else it is he wants is probably waiting in the wings. He is indeed his own kind of visionary. I have worked for him off and on for more than 20 years, and I like him very much.

What’s hot:

MSNBC debuts in 30 Rock - A few technical glitches here and there but overall this week’s debut of MSNBC’s new studio in 30 Rock went relatively smoothly. The benefits were readily apparent with the marked increase of in studio guests, some of whom would never set foot in Secaucus. And the set is slick.

California Wildfires - They dominated the news cycle; so much so that CNN’s Planet in Peril debut got kind of lost in the deluge, somewhat spoiling what up until then had been a building wave of buzz.

FNC’s Republican Debate - By all accounts it was the liveliest debate of the season so far. It was so lively that some campaigns tried using debate footage in their ads and FNC had to put its foot down to stop it.

What’s not:

While there are a couple of things on my radar screen I don’t think anything really made the cut for this week…

Ace of Spades blogs that Red Eye will be airing on the 11pm slot until at least January…

My source at FOX (alas, not Miss Suzanne Sena….this time) tells me that this extra time slot for the show will exist at least until January. If the ratings hold up, this could become a permanent thing.