Barack Hussein Obama-Cheney?

Have you ever heard that almost every major political figure in America is in some way related to William the Conqueror? Yes, a man that lived and ruled England nearly a millenia ago has famous and powerful descendants many times over. Well not only do genealogists keep records of this stuff, so do the elite. Lynne Cheney knows whats up and guess who Dick's eighth cousin is?

From CNN:

In an interview on MSNBC Tuesday afternoon, Mrs. Cheney said that in the course of researching her husband's genealogy for her new book, "Blue Skies, No Fences," she discovered that the two public figures share an ancestor eight generations ago.

"Think about this," Mrs. Cheney said. "This is such an amazing American story that one ancestor, a man that came to Maryland, could be responsible down the family line for lives that have taken such different and varied paths as Dick's and Barack Obama's."

But is blood thicker than the partisan waters of Washington? Apparently not.

Even though Obama is related to her husband, Mrs. Cheney said she is not supporting the Illinois Democrat's White House bid.

Reacting to the news, Obama's campaign spokesman Bill Burton told CNN's Dana Bash with tongue in cheek, "Obviously, Dick Cheney is sort of the black sheep of the family."

Of course this really makes no difference in the here and now of American politics. Yet, it is an interesting thing to ponder. As CNN also notes, George Bush is an 11th cousin to Barack and apparently Clinton has distant blood ties to them all as well. So no matter who wins, it seems the Presidency will stay in the family.