Oddsmakers: Gray Davis as Good as Gone

And the most interesting two minutes in television, the latest from the wartime grapevine:

FOX Fans: Missed the Grapevine? Click here to watch it!

Reports 'Round the World

Some media outlets — not FOX News Channel — went to air with Lebanese TV reports that Iraqi terrorists had kidnapped a couple of U.S. military officers outside Baghdad.

The reports went on to say the U.S. officers were being held as hostages, and Lebanese TV showed one soldier's driver's license and the other's personal ID card to prove it.

But the reports were false, and — what's more — the two supposed victims have been in the States for weeks now. One was in Las Vegas at the time of her alleged abduction. As for the IDs, the soldiers say they lost those some time ago.

Gray as Good as Gone

Oddsmakers say voters will recall California's Democratic Gov. Gray Davis (search) on October 7. The latest odds: two to seven, which means betting $7 on the recall happening would only win you $2.

As for replacements, the book favors Arnold Schwarzenegger (search), with odds of seven to five, which is only slightly over Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (search), with odds of eight to five.

Hustler publisher Larry Flynt (search) and child star Gary Coleman (search) get long odds — 500-to-one.

Uncool News

On Tuesday, we told you the United States Postal Service (search) abruptly refused to send more than 300 air conditioners to troops in Iraq because — the Postal Service said — the units contain compressed gas (search). We noted the service had dispatched 400 units before deciding to halt shipments.

The USPS tells us the report was "only half the story."

It turns out that it's unsafe and illegal to ship such air conditioners. The Postal Service says, "We are proud that we were able to assist... to the extent that we did. But once it was clear that doing so could have unintended safety consequences, we had no choice but to take the action we did."

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report