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Just because you lost the race for your father’s Congressional seat doesn’t mean you don’t have really good political advice to impart.

That truism, apparently, has encouraged Chris Owens — who remains a private citizen thanks to his fourth-place finish in the race to succeed his father, Major Owens — to send Illinois Sen. Barack Obama a friendly list of tips for winning the presidency.

“So, Barack (we like to use first names, you know), some advice from the peanut gallery” Owens writes on his blog, “Power from Truth.”

No disrespect intended, but what business does an almost-Congressman have giving advice to a future president?

“Obama is the hottest political commodity out there, so there is no better time than now to weigh in with an opinion, for whatever it’s worth,” Owens told The Brooklyn Paper. “As someone who hopes to be involved with media coverage of the Congressional Black Caucus, I want to be part of that mix.”

Owens also said he was “moved” by Obama’s writing in the best-selling “The Audacity of Hope,” the book that fast-tracked the junior Senator’s White House hopes.

Not even Owens thinks Obama is listening to him. “He has no particular reason to listen to me other than the fact that I am based in [Hillary] Clinton’s state and I have some understanding of both the black and white progressive communities,” Owens said.

So without further ado, Sen. Obama, here are Chris Owens’s seven tips for running for president (which we’ve pared down to five because two actually weren’t tips. For the full, 1,800-word missive, see http://powerfromtruth.blogspot.com/2007/ 01/ barack-obama-should-run-for-president.html):

“1. Don’t miss your Senate votes while you are campaigning.

“2. Be ‘the progressive’ and consolidate “the left.” Your position on Iraq has yet to resonate with anyone, let alone the Democratic progressives (after all, you supported Lieberman over Lamont!) You cannot simply compete for Clinton’s voters, you need to win all of the[m]. You also do not need Rev. [Al] Sharpton.

“3. Make sure your committee work provides you with as much foreign policy exposure as possible.

“4. Personally call every African-American leader you can — everywhere — and ask for their support now.

“5. A stump speech is an essential part of every campaign [but] please abandon certain stories and humor lines that have been overused.”

Who knows? If Obama would only listen to Chris Owens, the White House (or a fourth-place finish) could be his for the taking!

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper

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