The most important part of a White House reporter's job, in my view, is deciding what questions to ask Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

In my case, that importance is magnified by the fact that, unlike the big kids in the first two rows, I don't get to fire nine questions at him. Sometimes, I don't get to ask any.

With that in mind, I would like your input, Asylum readers. This is, after all, your Web site, and your opinion matters. Imagine yourself in that briefing room, with a direct line to the leader of the free world.

While this might seem simple, there are a few things you need to consider. Before you leave your suggestions in the comments section, check out a few quick guidelines on what to ask.

No repeats
The most basic test of a question is whether it has been asked before. If it has, I'm probably not going to ask it, unless there's a way to get a clearer answer. The good thing is that the first two rows have usually beaten the question of the day to death by the time Gibbs gets to me. That also presents the challenge of asking ...

Something no one else will ask
You have to anticipate the 20 or so questions ahead of you. If you want to ask a super-topical question, remember that the subject will probably have been worked over pretty well by the time Gibbs get to us. Try to find a fresh angle that nobody else will think of.

Ask something relevant
It doesn't necessarily have to be topical, or even political, but it must be something that's relevant to the president, or Gibbs. For example, I know the president is something of a poker player, so I once asked if he had a rooting interest in the World Series of Poker final table. The challenge there is to ...

Ask a question that will actually get a response
In the case of the poker question, despite the fact that you and I know that being a poker aficionado is akin to the universal search for enlightenment, the squares who decide elections think it's evil gambling. Hence, Gibbs shined it on.

There are also questions so predictable that most White House reporters can recite the "Gibbs answer" to them in their sleep. For example, asking about pretty much any weakness in the health-care reform bill will likely get you some variation on "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Unless you phrase them in some really novel way, questions like this can be a dead end.

So, with these tips in mind, let me know what you'd like to ask Robert Gibbs.

Tommy Christopher is Asylum's White House correspondent.