Since it’s all but a given now, I think, that Senator Barack Obama from Illinois will be running for President in 2008, some people are wondering if we’re ready for a black president.

Or, when you consider Sen. Hillary Clinton, if we’re ready for a woman president. Or, if you consider Oprah, a black woman president.

In all seriousness, ‘08 is definitely the time we break the “white male” streak for American Presidents. The public is shifting after an early 2000-2005 domination of Republicans in Washington, as they tend to go back and forth. I’m not even sure a Republican will win in ‘08.

So is America ready? Absolutely, and has been for years. But it’s not a given. Here are five things I think Barack Obama could do to help get himself elected:

1. Get Heard As Much As Possible.

Obama is charismatic. He’s got a booming, powerful, authoritative voice, the kind of voice that Presidents only have in the movies – except it’s real. He gets in People Magazine because he didn’t wear a shirt on the beach.

So Americans have to know it. I don’t mean politically-minded, smart Americans like yourself (since you’re reading this site), but the nitwits who represent the majority. They have to say “Hey, I’ve seen that Obama feller!” and get used to the idea, and get used to it as soon as possible.

Like Kennedy vs. Nixon in 1960, more exposure for Obama can only help him and hurt his opponents. If he pulls it off, historians will look back at the election of ‘08 and say it’s the first time a true President of television and the internet was elected President.

2. Ignore the Fact That He’s Black

This can’t be the central issue of the campaign – can America handle a black President? That’s a waste of everybody’s time, and distracts them from Obama himself.

If Obama, on the other hand, is seen on MTV and BET talking about healthcare, teenagers won’t hear what he’s saying. But what they’ll see is a chance to put a charismatic black man in the Oval Office – and believe me, they’ll want to.

Focusing on the issues – Iraq, for example – will take advantage of the previous President’s mathematically impossible low approval ratings. Race has nothing to do with it.

3. Lay Off the Democrats

The last thing Americans want to see is a candidate who can’t even get along with his/her own political party. If any old Jim Bo from East Dakota comes out swinging, all it will tell Americans is that he’s a divider, not a unificator.

Hillary seems like the type to come out guns blazing. You know Edwards will be working hard. Obama has to stay visible without actively engaging these characters, not legitimizing their candidacy with serious acknowledgement. No one wants to hear it anyway.

He can’t come across as indecisive in doing this. A quick comment or two about what the media wants to hear and then move on.

Obama should take the high road, until he’s won the primary. Then he can:

4. Take Advantage of a Weak Republican Class

Come on. Rudy Guiliani? He’s okay, but that’s the best we got? Obama can blow any current Republican candidate out of the water, especially given a forum like a nationally televised debate. Man, even John Edwards looks decent next to some of these guys. Even a solid Republican candidate like Newt Gingrich would just come across like a crusty old white guy.

Obama, having taken the high road during the primaries, will have proven his essentially peaceful nature. To then only attack the Republicans will effectively villainize them, and it will work.

5. Be the Anti-Hillary: Go Moderate

I saved the most obvious for last, but it’s essential to winning a majority of the votes. Obama has to be seen as the best option the Democrats have to offer, with whoever’s second coming in a distant second.

Obviously, these are oversimplifications of what will be a highly advanced strategy, but it’s how I see the election right now. I see Obama as the favorite, honestly, and if you’ve got someone else who rattles your ancestors or tickles your fancy, let me know.

Talk about this on the boards.