We all know the poor job Mr. Happy and his neo-cons did in the strategic and long term planning of the “regime change” in Iraq. Daily news reports remind us of that, as does the number of body bags that have come back full of our brothers and sisters from overseas. Better pens than mine have already scribed that story, and I won’t try to keep up.

What I would like to do, though, is share a story with the three main presidential candidates, a little something to let them know what kind of planning and foresight I hope the winner will employ when he/she gets to the White House. It’s one that goes back a ways, a rather obscure story of some state house deliberations on a bill filed with the Massachusetts General Court years ago. The bill was a state representative’s perennial filing, and “perennial” will tell you how it floated each year when it came to a vote.

It was a bill to legalize prostitution in Massachusetts with certain geographical restrictions so it could be controlled and regulated. Boston had at that time a region known as the “Combat Zone,” and it was filled with strip joints, greasy sub stands and guys whose wedding rings were in their wallets for safe keeping. The bill’s sponsor was seeking to designate this area as one where prostitution would be allowed.

The same state rep also filed a bill to prohibit smoking inside restaurants and bars, and government buildings, and to regulate where indoor smoking could occur. He was ahead of his time on this one, as many communities in Massachusetts now prohibit smoking in these places. But, back then, you could smoke anywhere, and this state rep smoked cigars. He would joyfully puff away while in committee for public hearings on the bill, too.

He got called on it one time and was accused of being inconsistent and hypocritical, promoting an anti smoking bill while puffing on his cigar and filling the hearing room with smoke. He thought about that for a moment, and his response is the point of this missive today.

He noted that he filed the legalized prostitution bill each year, too, and was simply wanting to make sure that if both bills passed, the legalized smoking zone corresponded with the legalized prostitution zone so that folks wouldn’t be running across the street all night between them. He was just trying to plan well for that eventuality, he said.

So, Hillary, Barack and John, that’s the kind of foresight and planning we will need from our next president, a pretty low bar to be sure, but one representing an improvement over the current bunch of clowns. It’s really just common sense, though, being mindful of consequences, and it’s something that has been lacking for the last eight years from Mr. Happy.

Please don’t make folks run back and forth willy nilly. It’s a pretty simple request. It’s also sad to have to ask for such a modest improvement.