When scandal broke this spring about an $822,000 General Services Administration conference in Vegas, the nation pounced on the news as a symbol of government spending gone haywire. Here, we quietly played defense, emphasizing the city as a valid destination, even when budgets are tighter. Then CNN pounced again last week, revealing the GSA’s free-spending ways go as far as team-building cooking classes (less than once a year) and a holiday video contest that rewarded the winners with an ice cream social. The accusations were so hideous (How dare a government agency try to work as a team!) that the GSA, tail between its legs, vowed to limit future team-building snacks to water and pretzels. I’m all for the media as watchdog, but as bully? No thanks, CNN. And pass the hot fudge.