A desperate CNN, trapped in third place among cable news channels, hoped to replicate a little of the flirty magic seen on MSNBC's Morning Joe between Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. They cast a somewhat unlikely pair in the roles of lovable guy and snarky girl: Eliot Spitzer and Kathleen Parker. The ParkerSpitzer chemistry, thus far, may not have been what the network intended: The New York Times' Alessandra Stanley said "it carries the queasy whiff of sulphur." Apparently, there's a reason for that: Parker hates Spitzer.

The New York Post's Tara Palmeri reports that Parker is threatening to leave the show because she dislikes the way Spitzer dominates. Parker "stormed off the set" a few weeks ago, Palmeri writes, and "she's angry that the show's producers are allegedly doing nothing to play up her strengths on the ailing show."

Some staffers, Palmeri reports, say the hooker-loving former governor "thrust himself up front and center right out of the gate, leaving Parker without a chance. But other insiders said the Pulitzer Prize-winning Parker has only herself to blame. While Parker--a conservative, nationally syndicated newspaper journalist--is widely respected, she's no TV personality, critics said. "Her weaknesses are felt internally," a source told the Post.

As a bonus, we offer the best and worst headlines for bloggers' reactions to this story:

• New York's Chris Rovzar: "Kathleen Parker Can No Longer Swallow Spitzer"

• Dan Riehl: "CNN's Spitzer Using Kathleen Parker Like A Two-Bit Crack Ho"

• The New York Observer's Kat Stoeffel: "Is Kathleen Parker the Shannen Doherty of Parker Spitzer?"

• Gawker's Hamilton Nolan: "Inexperienced Cohost of Unpopular Show Makes Illogical Demands"

• Palmeri: Co-host spittin' mad over Spitzer

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Elspeth Reeve