From his nest down in Austin, campaign guru Karl Rove lured moneymen and operatives from every important state into a Virtual Smoke-Filled Room built out of calls and faxes and 300 e-mails a day.

CNN: Who chose George?

Our scene opens on a smoke-filled room.

FORBES: Doin' The Citigroup Shuffle

Thanks to stylized dialogue and obviously artificial settings, viewers are always at some remove from the action whether it be on a nearly deserted rain-soaked street at midnight or in a sparsely furnished, smoke-filled room lighted only by a bare bulb.

WSJ: Black and White and Noir | Dark Crimes: Film Noir Thrillers | By David Mermelstein

The New York City Is Not For Sale ad attacks Ms. Quinn from the left, depicting her as a creature of a smoke-filled room who, among other things, supported Mayor Michael Bloomberg's effort to seek a third term and opposed until recently a requirement that employers in the city offer workers paid time off when they are sick.

WSJ: Negative TV Ads Target Quinn

There are two spaces: the smoke-filled bar and the cozy, less intense back room.

FORBES: Fact and Comment