Cheney and Obama cousins?

Posted: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:03 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: White House

From NBC's Adam Verdugo
In an interview with MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell this afternoon, Lynne Cheney revealed that while researching the Cheney family tree for her new book "Blue Skies, No Fences," she discovered that the Vice President Cheney and Barack Obama are related -- albeit distantly. According to Mrs. Cheney, the two politicians are eighth cousins.

*** Update *** The Obama campaign emails NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan that the Chicago Sun-Times actually wrote about this relation back in September, although the article notes that Obama and Cheney are 11th cousins -- not 8th cousins.

*** Update II *** Our mistake: The Sun-Times says that Obama and George Bush are 11th cousins, and Obama and Cheney are ninth cousins once removed. It seems we're all related....

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Comments

Now that's funny!! I'm sure both of them were just delighted to learn that news.

Lewis, Cincinnati, Ohio (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:09 PM)

What a crock!

HP Boston (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:09 PM)

I am probably Chuck Todd's eighth cousin. After eight degrees of seperation, aren't we kind of reaching to infer familial relation?

Shadow, Hamden, CT (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:10 PM)

So does this make Cheney a muslim....LOL

They say everyone has a better side...( Obama is Cheney's better side)

BTW if you dig deep enough you will probably find more people related than you think.

Grace, NY (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:17 PM)

that ain't exactly a feather in obama's hat

MK,MO (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:19 PM)

Well I wouldn't go hunting with cousin dick thats for sure

Rick, WS, NC (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:20 PM)

HAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!! Oh, no... Put Obama on suicide watch!

Aren't Bush and Kerry related, too?

Mazz, Oceanside, CA (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:30 PM)

Here is what is news worthy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0icVblxh2dI

Bee (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:36 PM)

Rove planted this story in Lynn Cheney's mind. It's too good to be true...

Jerry, Chicago, IL (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:36 PM)

I guess now all those people concerned about voting for a Black man can rest easy...they can vote for the "White" side LOL

This will drive Rush L crazy...wasn't it Al Sharpton that found he was related to S. thrumond or someone equally as bad ?

Debbie, SC (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:41 PM)

The article also says that Obama and Bush are related and also that Cheney and Bush are related.

nuanced (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:43 PM)

Explains why Obama is so much smarter than Hillary

Dave, Tn (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:52 PM)

Why did all the brains end up on Obama's side of the family ?

Sierra, SF (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:58 PM)

The Theory of Relativity:

E=MC<sup>2</sup>

(Everyone is my mother's second cousin.)

Monty Harder, Kansas City, KS (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 4:59 PM)

If Obama & George Bush are 11th cousins and Obama & Cheney are 9th cousins, what is the relationship between Cheney & Bush?? I had also read that Clinton & Bush were cousins, so what is the relationship between Obama & Clinton - Should we call this election family fued & who can we vote for without creating a monarchy????? CY in Oregon

CY Hunter (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 5:06 PM)

The evil Cheney side met up with the good Obama side somewhere waaaayyyyy back. Interesting. Looks like good trumps evil again.

JeanneGA (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 5:08 PM)

Thank God Obama pick the good side of the Brain

Bee (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 5:24 PM)

Not that I want to drop any names, but I'm related to all three of them.

I wonder how much this will affect Obama's fundraising.

JammieWearingFool (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 5:34 PM)

"what is the relationship between Cheney & Bush?? "

Cheney has his arm up Bush's butt, and moves his mouth.

Howdy Doody (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 5:54 PM)

First the gay kid, now this.

Dick C., Washington DC (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 5:54 PM)

Another publicity stunt? What won't these people do to get elected?

What Did I Do?, Madison, WI (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 8:16 PM)

Another publicity stunt? Was Honest Abe related to John Brown, of Harper's Ferry fame?

What Did I Do? (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 8:28 PM)

Yea, and "I'm my own grandpa" la la la--LOL!

jawhite1964 (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 8:33 PM)

part of the inconvenient compact in order to go forward you need to know

your past (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 8:52 PM)

...But they're cousins,
Ironical cousins all the way.
One pair of matching bookends,
Different as night and day.

Now, Richard adores a Minuteman,
A quailtard shoot, and Atavan,
He really likes to lock and load,
A lager make him lose control --
What a wild, wildman!

Still, they're cousins,
Ironical cousins and you'll find,
They laugh alike, they walk alike,
At times they even talk alike --

You can lose your mind,
When cousins are two of a kind.

Tulsan (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 9:48 PM)

Of Course Mrs. Clinton is a direct cousin with Sammy Davis Jr. and a distant cousin with Al Sharpton

Emil, NJ (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 11:02 PM)

Of Course Mrs. Clinton is a direct cousin with Sammy Davis Jr. and a distant cousin with Al Sharpton

Emil, NJ (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 11:03 PM)

I'm glad the bloodlines who rule the world allow us to choose a leader from their ranks!

God Bless The New World Order!

Kevin, Los Alamitos, California (Sent Tuesday, October 16, 2007 11:25 PM)

What's up cuz.

A. Lincoln ,Va (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 6:12 AM)

It would be very interesting if Cheney comes out to comment on this relationship issue.

Patrick, Charlotte, NC (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 8:19 AM)

IF YOU READ THE BIBLE AS LITERAL TRUTH, WE ARE ALL RELATED. THAT'S SCARY. ? I'M RELATED TO BUSH AND CHENEY?

Rose Stern StLouis ,Mo (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 8:27 AM)

Wow, another non-issue to keep us happy and uninformed. I enjoy the media for helping me forget what issues are improtant and entertaining me with non-news and fluffy pieces of pop culture. I now know that Britney is cousin to Bush, the Dalai lama, Putin and Maliki. No wonder the world is so messed up, Britneys family runs it. Thanks for clearing up a lot of questions I have had for so long.

John S. Alexander, Edinboro, PA (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 8:48 AM)

Poor Obama - to have such a vile creature in his bloodline.

Brian, Cedar Hill, TX (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 8:54 AM)

What does this really matter to anybody?Who cares?I don't.This will not be any reason to vote for Obama or not to vote for him.

S.Smith,GA (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 8:56 AM)

Listen... that's the sound of Jay Leno's writers buying new boats! This will keep them in material for months!

Rolin D. Phatees, Austin, TX (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 8:59 AM)

I can't help but wonder haow Cheney is reacting to this bit of News! A democrat for a cousin! Ha Ha!

Pam Vanvekoven, Danville, IL. (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:01 AM)

I'm sure Dick is absolutely delighted to know that he's related to a black guy.

J. Merle Stanley, Westchester, NY (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:05 AM)

shame on you adam and eve, want to try it again

joe hick, alamo, texas (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:20 AM)

joe hick, alamo, texas (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:22 AM)

Debbie of SC: Al Sharpton is not related to Strom Thurmond (not so bad); but Strom did have an illegimate black daughter. And I still won't vote for Obama.

Dave of TN: Obama is NOT smarter than Hillary--he just happens to be black at a time when the NAACP feels they can get a black into the WH. He might be dumb as a cow (or dumb as Bush), but the NAACP would not care--he's black.

Kay (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:24 AM)

did they say that dick Cheney is the BLACK sheep of the family?...its black, its white!!!!

Omamba Croc, DE (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:26 AM)

oboma related to white is not the i think the most important is the go for the good one

az,la,cali (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:53 AM)

You've got to love the 'black sheep' comment from Obama's camp though...

It's BRILLIANT!

Steven Martin, Highlands Ranch, Colorado (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:01 AM)

Just goes to show that all the political power is concentrated and they try to keep it all in the family. No matter what "side"you vote, you are voting for status quo

MERSCP (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:09 AM)

haaa, now i understand why Obama is not black enough.

Hasan Khalaf, Columbus OH (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:09 AM)

DaveTn.Obama cannot hold a candel to Hillary.She has had more education than Obama will ever have in his lifetime.I do not think this country is ready for a black president.Can you imagine a black first lady.There is to much racism going on in this country.He is Ok as far as i am concerned but does have the xperience or education.He said that if pakistan doesn't shape up he would invade.Sounds like a war monger to me.Sounnds like another BUSH to me.

DOLORES FLEMING (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:33 AM)

Since apparently we are all "cousins" can't we all just get along?

Debbie McDonald, Fort Smith, Arkansas (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:38 AM)

It is possible that due to the activity of supervolcanos 75,000 years ago, that the entire human race is descended from the approximately 1,000 indivuals who survived. We are ALL cousins. Wouldn't it be nice if everybody would cut the nastiness and just get along. Won't ever happen, but it would be nice. Oh, and if there is someone out there that thinks this can't be true because it isn't in the Bible, please don't bother to "correct" me. God made the world without consulting the bible...

Jannie Ogg (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:46 AM)

Well if you go back to Adam & Eve we're all just one
big backbiting family!!

Jim Parker, Brandon, Florida (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:23 AM)

HA!! HA!!!!!!!!!!

Terry Shenton, Canton, MI (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:28 AM)

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