After that huge story in Vanity Fair about CNBC's Maria Bartiromo catfight with fellow business channel anchor, Erin Burnett, the suits are all a'scramblin to find out who "leaked" the story to Graydon Carter's people.

It's all the Post's fault according to CNBC, though Richard Johnson's people are blaming it on station executives trying to improve ratings by promising some tension between the two.

Let's air on the side of caution here and assume that one of Bartiromo's or Burnett's people — these types always have "people" — leaked the story themselves: adding a little bit of the Sarah Jessica Parker/Kim Cattrall off-camera bitchiness to their persona so more viewers will tune in to witness the fake smiles and facial tics whenever the two are forced to talk to each other.

CNBC has a great combo going: Money and chicks. Sure, the ads on the station's website sometimes gets managing editor Allen Wastler into hot water with the provocative bikini-clad women on a site ostensibly about finance, but come on: hearing about the economy tanking all the time can sometimes be sort of dry.

That's why the NBC biz chan banks on two of its stars to get the movers and shakers moving and shaking over to their channel. Maria Bartiromo (on the left) of Closing Bell and Erin Burnett (on the right) of Street Signs are two of the biggest…uh…assets that business station has going for it. Especially now, when there is an inverse relationship between how bad off the country is financially and the ratings for the network.

But given the primadonna nature of the station's leading ladies, it was only a matter of time before the rumored catfight between Maria "The Money Honey" and Erin "Street Sweetie" made its way into the pages of Graydon Carter's baby. Because he likes celebrities, beautiful people, and money.

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