An acquaintance told the story of being hired by Uncle Frank 20+ years ago to work in City Hall. He made the short list and was called in to be interviewed by the Mayor. He showed up at the appointed time, and was shown into a small room and told to sit down. The room had a little table with a bright light over it that made the rest of the room appear dark, rather like the police interrogation room in an Edward G. Robinson film. The room was redolent of cigar smoke and noticeably devoid of mayors.
As he slowly focused on the dark room, he saw the lit end of a cigar glowing faintly through the smoke, above a dark pinstriped suit coat. A voice came from behind the cigar and growled a few questions at him, which he answered without being able to see the face of the man who was asking. The voice then growled, "You're hired. I'll tell the mayor. Come in on Monday."
The smoke-filled room has a place in American politics. The key is to find the right people to smoke in it.