At both the Republican and Democratic conventions, CNN sponsored a splashy, invitation-only club called the CNN Grill to promote its unique brand of ponderous and dull cable-news fare to the press and politicians. You had to be on a list to get in, and Ari Fleischer was there, so you felt important. The drinks and food were free and—I can tell you from personal experience—it was constantly packed to capacity. And now the waiters and bartenders who worked at the Grill's Tampa, Fla., operation at the RNC are accusing CNN of not paying a promised tip.