Las Vegas is Juiced

Las Vegas is a city of second chances. Who knew last week that it would provide a second chance for the Goldman and Brown families to see real justice?

With a little O.J. in our steady-flowing Grey Goose, Las Vegas is just the right cocktail for such an outcome. There's nothing that seems more fair than Orenthal James caught, finally on audio tape, accompanying some low-rent hoods to conduct his "sting operation," guns a blazin'.

The O.J. Simpson arrest Sunday evening played out magnificently, dare I say, thanks to some great work by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Metro is much-maligned for shooting first and asking questions later, and, more generally, being unable to keep up with population growth, traffic lawlessness or crime spikes. But, with the exception of a verbal gaffe by Capt. James Dillon on Friday, the tawdry drama has actually lived up to his intended message -- that Metro can be professional and unbiased. (Dillon said "biased," but we know what he meant.)

I first heard the latest chapter of the O.J. serial midway through an 11 p.m. newscast Thursday when the anchors reported Simpson was involved in some kind of armed robbery at Palace Station.

It's the kind of information you can't really process immediately, let alone just before bed. In fact, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop -- for some Howard Stern prankster to yell "Baba Booey to y'all!"

But a few days later, the reality sank in when O.J. was perp-walked to the county jail. Imagine if Simpson had been hauled from the Palms or cuffed while still in cuff links at the Little White Wedding Chapel.

Metro probably had the evidence needed to make the arrest Saturday. Instead, police telegraphed a message during Friday's news conference that Simpson was free to leave town.

In the meantime, the real CSI got a chance to do the type of forensics we all wish were done a decade ago. Vegas is actually pretty good at handling a crime like this, particularly when -- we suspect -- there's so much evidence.

Still, Metro let O.J. hang himself this weekend by telling The Associated Press about his "sting."

This being Las Vegas, we know how to do hospitality. We've just gotten a bit rusty lately.

Vegas has been without a really good caper for some time now. Sure, just about every big story has a Vegas tie, whether it's the arrest of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs or terrorist hijacker Mohamed Atta sleeping in our EconoLodge pre-9/11. But lately, there's been no Binion, no Rudin, not even a sickening Strohmeyer to draw the satellite trucks. Even Michael Jackson's memorabilia battle didn't draw the hordes.

Nobody knows how to put on a sideshow like Las Vegas. And boy, can we rise to the challenge.

Already, Clark County has appointed a "media judge" -- the telegenic Nancy Oesterle is now playing TMZ.com. It wasn't really hospitality that influenced the county's PR office to send a midday press release promising a criminal complaint would "soon" be filed in the case. They were just sick of getting the calls.

The cottage industry that was the O.J. criminal trial is back in business. Mark Furhman was on cable over the weekend. He thinks Metro's doing a good job.

Is Dominick Dunne here yet?

We even get District Attorney David Roger back in his major-violator form. Running the DA's office must have been getting boring. He even had to throw the book at former county commissioner -- and fellow Republican -- Lynette Boggs recently.

Now he's got O.J. If he did it.

Britney Spears may not have her mojo back, but Vegas sure does, baby.

This little piggy

Sen. John Ensign was for the pork before he was against it.

Nevada's junior senator successfully inserted about $12.3 million for Nevada in the transportation and housing appropriation bill last week and then dutifully voted against the behemoth, citing concerns about additional money for public housing and train service.

One man's Amtrak is not, apparently, another man's highway interchange in Fernley.

Whatever happened to Ensign's call for an end to earmarks? Best to play by the rules governing the game, he figured. And if that means $1 million for the Nathan Adelson Hospice in Henderson and scads more to ease our commutes north and south, he'd slip in the cash and take cover behind a "no" vote.

The Republican may talk a good game on reining in pork, but he's as parochial as they come when it comes to protecting his district. So he splits the differences, sponsoring his pork while voting against the nation's.

Erin Neff's column runs Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached at (702) 387-2906, or by e-mail at eneff@reviewjournal.com.