The man from the smoke-filled room: to get the ear of the new majority leader, you better light up.

• Author: Bolton, Alexander
• Position: 10 MILES SQUARE - John Boehner

In the vast, labyrinth-like spaces of the U.S. Capitol, each new generation of congressional leaders finds its own smoke-filled room, an informal spot where leaders banter with their underlings, form alliances, avoid reporters, and craft deals. When Tip O'Neill ran things, he used the Democratic cloakroom, a pinched hideaway filled with a snack bar, beat-up leather couches and rows of telephone booths. Under Tom DeLay, it was Room H219, an elegant if sparse venue primarily recommended by its terrific views of the Capitol's west lawn. But with the ascent of John Boehner, the Ohio Republican elected to replace DeLay as majority leader on Feb. 2, Hill insiders knew that a new power spot's time had come.

Boehner, after all, is the man from Smoker's Alley.

During almost every series of House votes, while most of his ambitious colleagues elbowed their way through the crowd on the House floor searching for targets to cajole or browbeat, Boehner could be found puffing on his preferred cigarettes, Barclay's, in what has become known as Smoker's Alley--the relatively quiet southwest corner of the Speaker's Lobby, which is the long room that runs the length of the House chamber and also opens onto the Speaker's offices. And with the chief resident of Smoker's Alley now leading the House's majority party, this particular nook of the Capitol looks bound to become the new congressional power base. Its longtime residents--puffers who've become Boehner's pals--are the new super-insiders, and non-smoking members who want to up their chances of getting their earmarks passed may have to learn to light up.

Even without the wafting cigarette and cigar smoke, the Lobby is a throwback to another era. The hall is lined with chandeliers and a collection of fusty antiques--chairs, benches, a desk, something resembling a throne--few of which share origin or style. Along the walls hang the oil portraits of forgotten past speakers of the House, most of them staring out sternly from darkly shadowed backgrounds. The only nods to modernity are the electric lights, the newly-installed air filters, which always whir in the background, dispelling clouds of tobacco smoke, and a portrait of Newt Gingrich. Men aren't allowed in the lobby without a sports jacket and tie.

During busy votes, Boehner was often here sharing a smoke with two of his closest friends, Reps. Tom Latham of Iowa and Mike Simpson of Idaho. Latham and Simpson formed the core of the smokers' club, the...