Letter from Washington: Inside the politico - media power nexus

Greetings, DailyFinance readers. I'm here at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., where I've spent the past two days taking in The Atlantic's First Draft of History conference: a medley of one-on-one interviews with politicians, business leaders (like this guy) and other newsmakers, conducted by the likes of Brian Williams (pictured), Jim Lehrer, Chuck Todd and Michael Kinsley.

It's pretty bold of The Atlantic to have a confab like this after the shellacking The Washington Post took earlier this year for its planned series of sponsored off-the-record salons. Everything here is on the record, but that doesn't mean everyone necessarily thinks it's a good idea. Slate's Jack Shafer pronounced his judgment in advance, declaring it "the year's most tedious event," "a two-day-long episode of Charlie Rose," and other not-nice things.