In a news release today, Huckleberry explained that he had abstained on Tuesday because of "a legal opinion citing his and his wife's of their restaurant-bar in Greenville." (sic) In addition the news release stated that some of Huckleberry's constituents have also complained that his business ownership was in conflict with his legislative position.

A conflict of interest? Seriously? Huckleberry's campaign website is still online and serves as an ever-present reminder that the man bragged about the fact that he is and was a small business owner. That was one of his selling points. Now he's using it to get out of making decisions that affect small businesses? I can hear the re-election campaign speech now- 'Send me back to Lansing because my background gives me critical experience that I can use to excuse myself from ever casting a vote that my caucus boss doesn't like.'

The "legislative position" he cites makes things even trickier. See, Huckleberry knows a smoking ban would kill jobs. He knows it would further devastate Michigan's fragile economy. He knows moms and dads and their families would be shuffled off to the bread line. MIRS continues:

Huckleberry asked rhetorically. "And I also don't understand why some of the members from Detroit would want to exempt the casinos, but let their local bars and restaurants be affected."

"It just comes down to jobs," Huckleberry said. "What about all of those small bars and restaurants around Detroit?"

It's just that with Huckleberry, when the rubber meets the road, none of that matters.

The man claims that in spite of the job-killing consequences, he favors a sweeping, statewide ban on smoking in the workplace "for health consideration." Better yet, he's even personally introduced alternate legislation (HB 4752) banning smoking in the workplace across Michigan, including casinos!

So, from the top, he sponsored legislation to ban smoking, then he acknowledged that a smoking ban would kill jobs across the state, then he reiterated his desire for an across-the-board smoking ban, then he declined the opportunity to vote either way on a job-killing smoking ban.

In other words, he was for the ban before he was against it at which point his contradictory positions exploded inside his head, jarring the frontal lobes of his brain and temporarily incapacitating him at the exact moment the House called the question.

To top it all off, he issued a press release urging the Senate to kill a ban on smoking in the workplace that he claims he supports even though he decided not to cast a vote supporting it. Or against it.

Confused yet? Mike Huckleberry sure is.