"Smoke Filled Rooms"

Fall-out chains across the agenda,
issues mist the verbal blur,
weapons wait tense on lips,
lungs filled with poisoned air.

Stab!
Oh, so good the first time,
such nerves, such achievement,
but now, again, again,
for what?

It probably helps to know that in some political circles, to "stab" means to successfully defeat a political opponent, usually from the same party.