Kraft and Sara Lee are fighting each other hard to stay out of the doghouse.

It's a rare case tried in federal court that can spark one's appetite.

But the battle taking place in Chicago between Kraft's Oscar Mayer wieners and Sara Lee's Ball Park franks can't help but make one's mouth water just a little for a nice hot dog with mustard, onion and pickle.

We take no position on which company produces the best product. We don't, forgive us, have a dog in that fight.

But it seems obvious that this lawsuit is either the product of mind-boggling hypersensitivity or a publicity stunt that is working beautifully.

Lawyers for both sides plus the judge seem to be falling all over themselves to make it entertaining. Both sides are promising to be "frank" in their pursuit of their "beefs" against each other.

Each side is accusing the other of false advertising claims, mostly notably making "all beef" hot dogs and claiming victory in taste tests.

Actually, neither makes all-beef hot dogs. There's other stuff in the dogs, too. As for the best taste, each is accusing the other of rigging tests and puffing the results.

The hot dog business apparently is a dog-eat-dog enterprise, with millions of dollars in profits at stake for the company that can dominate the market. What really matters, of course, is not who wins in court, but who emerges as top dog in the marketplace.