Reporter's Note: President Obama is trying to close the deal on health care. I’m trying to get through another letter to Pennsylvania Avenue.

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Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

Dear Mr. President,

So I understand you’re headed to the Hill! Good for you. That Congressional crowd needs to be reminded now and then about who is in charge, or they’ll start putting their feet up on the furniture. That said, I suspect you’ll have your hands full, so as you try to rally support for health care reform (and finally get some kind of vote,) here are a few tips to bear in mind.

1) Twist arms, crack heads, bust knuckles…all of that is fine. Just don’t make anyone look like an idiot. Even if he or she is one. My father had a saying: “It you bare their face, they’ll get your ass.” My apologies for the language, and frankly that saying was one of the rare times I ever heard my dad use a profanity. But I stuck with the original, because it loses a little oomph when you say tuckus. Anyway, what he meant was, if you are going to have to work with a person again in the future (and you are) don’t make him or her feel so utterly crushed and humiliated that you can not be forgiven and trusted down the line.

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