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

Obviously Hasan Khalaf from Columbus, OH, doesn't know what he is talking about when he compares hillay education and experience to Barack's. Hillary graduated from Wellesley College, and graduated from Yale University Law School. While Obama Graduated from Columbia University and also graduated from from Harvard Law. They appear equal in education,however in experience Hillary's first lady experience (not a job) doesn't compare to Obama being a State Senator before becoming US Senator. He is also law professor. Hillary had to slide into US senate using her husbands experience, the same way she is trying to slide into the white house.
** and back to Barack and Chaney** I knew they were cousins all along, cant you tell by the family resemblance!!

Valerie (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:30 AM)

Oooh, icky thought! We're related to the nutcase that runs Iran. Ick! Ick! Ick!

Jannie Ogg (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 12:04 PM)

God bless the world. Red, Yellow, Black or White, we are precious in his sight. Jesus love the little children of the world.

Teresa Jones, Lawrenceville, GA (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 12:59 PM)

Wow, some of these posts are hilarious but others just reflect the racism and underlying stereotypes that still exist in society (Dolores and Kay). Dolores, what's so hard to imagine about a black first lady? And Kay, Barack has way more support then just the NAACP. When he becomes president it's because people countrywide are ready for a change, not just blacks. And if you even follow this campaign you'll see that even the black community questions him, we aren't just dummies that vote by color sweetie. And while you're spewing your ignorance, why don't you learn how to spell? Both of you are pitiful. Still cannot imagine someone of color in the WH but I'm sure you sat happily by while Bush screwed us over for almost the last decade.

Tiffany, Denver, CO (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:05 PM)

Now we know. Obama is Black enough, White enough, and American enough to be the President of the free world.

adebola.Joseph.Olusomiro. (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:06 PM)

maybe cheny would have aimed better if it had been obama at the end of the barrel.

tk (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:12 PM)

What difference does it make? That is not the biggest concerns facing this country. Most, if not more than 95%, of all African Americans in this country who came over here as slaves have White ancestry in their families. So to make a big deal of this is really not news worthy.

Is it another ploy to get those people on the edge to not vote for Barack. I think, both the Mainstream Media, the Punditry Corps and the Hillary campaign, and yes Republicans, are worried that there is more buzz out there for Obama than they realize.

These tactics are trying to derail his campaign for those folks easily influenced and that are fence sitters.

Rosemary, Simi Valley, CA (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:41 PM)

I posted a little blog at Barack Obama's web site in honor of this news. It's short, so I'll paste it here. I think this is a neat reminder of how connected we all really are:

It's true, apparently, according to CNN: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/10/16/all-in-the-family-cheney-and-obama-related/. Barack Obama and Dick Cheney share a common ancestor from the eighth generation preceding them, which, if I recall, is said to make them something like ninth cousins, once removed. Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton is said to have quipped: "Obviously, Dick Cheney is sort of the black sheep of the family."

So, how do you all like Cousin Dick? You can't take him anywhere, he could shoot someone in the face, but he's a cousin. I guess there's no avoiding it after all. Deep down, underneath all the infighting and distrust, we really are all together.

I guess you could say we're treating each other like family, too, in a really dysfunctional sort of way. But when you realize it's not just words, that we really are all in this together right down to the blood in our veins, you know it says something about how we could do a whole lot better.

We're family.

Don, Sammamish, WA (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:50 PM)

Hmmmm, brilliant anti-Hillary Republican strategy. Blacks can vote for Obama because he looks black and white Republicans can vote for Obama because he's related to the great white hunter, aka, Dick. BTW will there be a family reunion on turkey day? And where does this leave poor Condaleeza?

Sam Kapu (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 2:17 PM)

I am willing to bet that Hillary won't touch this news, since she is kin folk of Sammy Davis Jr.

Ken Collins/Wagoner,Oklahoma (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 4:48 PM)

This imore troubling than one would think. Does it not strike you as odd that these related individuals all have to do with the whitehouse;what are the odds of that. In another article it says Bill Clinton is the illigitimate son of Winthrop Rockefeller. All the top echelon of rich elites...all interrelated and it's kept secret...why? just like the Bilderberg& Trilateral Group and CFR meetings secret meetings...all by invitation only to only the top echelon people for deciding our future in the world ...they seem to keep it all inan inner circle....no one else is priivy???

Susan (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 5:55 PM)

It could be worse for Obama. He could be related to the real nuts of the Nutty Right (O'Reilly and Limbaugh!

A.Brocco (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:07 PM)

It could be worse for Obama. He could be related to the real nuts of the Nutty Right (O'Reilly and Limbaugh!

A.Brocco, Albq., NM (Sent Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:09 PM)

"Can I borrow the limousine cuz," No , last time you left the tank on E." "It not my fault the gas prizes are high." Well you got me there, here." One condition
let me use the plane next week.. "You have a deal", Love you man..

Elite,Penthouse,Richville (Sent Thursday, October 18, 2007 5:04 AM)

Obama's new campaign slogan for red states:
"You're not voting for a black guy, you're voting for Dick Cheney's cousin!"

AceC Chicago, IL (Sent Thursday, October 18, 2007 12:52 PM)

AceC, that's cute.

Tiffany of Denver, sweetie, the only word I misspelled was "illegitimate" and that was a typo on my part. You do know the meaning of "typo"? As for illegitimate, your people would know more about that than I. You don't vote by color? But you are adamant in your defense of Obama on that grounds. No, dear, I didn't just sit by while dummy screwed us over. I didn't vote for the SOB and have written letters to our representatives in DC many times regarding his stupidity and their ineptness.

Something is strange about the way Obama has leapt to the forefront. He was virtually unknown; then suddenly he's all over the front page news. Some group is pushing him hard, and I know it's not the KKK! We will see just how much support he does have. Wasn't it Pakistan that Obama said he would consider invading? That alone shows his ignorance!

Personally, I don't see much hope on either side, except in John Edwards, maybe Ron Paul.

Kay (Sent Thursday, October 18, 2007 2:20 PM)

What everyone above has totally ignored is the historical value of the relationship. The Duvall Family were very prominant in Prince George's Co., Md in the 1800s -- their home being Marietta (which is an historic site open to the public) in Glenn Dale, MD. One of Mareen Duvalls relatives was Gabriel DuVall (which brings another relationship between Obama and Cheney) -- who was active during the Revolution, served as Comptroller of the Treasury under Jefferson, and was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1811 to 1835. There, now everyone who reads this has just had a quick history lesson, and has hopefully learned something, which from the other comments didn't happen. As someone above wrote (paraphrased and words added) -- can't we all just get along and stop all this petty bickering which gets us nowhere and settles nothing?

Janie Young (Sent Friday, October 19, 2007 2:20 AM)

Janie Young, Bowie, MD (Sent Friday, October 19, 2007 2:21 AM)

The Family Forest® New World Edition can bring a great deal of expertise to this "important" news so that anyone can figure out what sort of cousins they are.

Please see yesterday's blog post at http://familyforest.wordpress.com/2007/10/18/another-barack-obama-cousins-story/

http://www.familyforest.com
A People-Centered Approach To History®

Alexis, Kamuela, Hawaii (Sent Friday, October 19, 2007 6:38 PM)

So where does this leave me????? I'm related to both of them!!!!!!!!

Amanda, Fernandina Beach , Florida (Sent Thursday, October 25, 2007 6:43 AM)

Now Obama can lead the way for Cheney on the next hunting trip.

John Wayne (Sent Thursday, October 25, 2007 12:50 PM)

Haha..Obama on Monday at Charlottesville said theres always a black sheep in the family hahaha!!!

Alex, Charlottesville, Virginia (Sent Wednesday, October 31, 2007 5:02 PM)

CHENEY. More like the DEATH STAR of the family than the BLACK SHEEP!

Edward B. Wesson Jr Little Rock, Arkansas (Sent Wednesday, November 07, 2007 6:12 PM)

just check out the Bush~Windsor~Piso Bloodline on bibliotecapleyades(dot)net

aaron capricorn, Belfast, Ireland (Sent Wednesday, December 05, 2007 8:01 PM)

yeah ok ....i guess this is how it's gonna be during the entire election.....anything to get or bump a vote.and who knows who really started this mess about the cousin thing anyway...but i know for sure that this won't be the last rumor we hear before we reach election day....and I hope u realize that too.

hunter lee, kings mountain ,nc (Sent Wednesday, December 12, 2007 8:47 PM)

"Senator Barack Obama’s ancestors link him to U.S. Presidents George Washington, James Madison, Harry Truman and Jimmy Carter..."

http://www.familyforest.com/PR_Barack_Obama.html

Kristine (Sent Friday, January 04, 2008 2:37 PM)

To Dolores Fleming you must be crazzzzzzzzzzzy Hillary does not have more education than Obama he is a professor of law ma'm, the best thing Hilliary ever has done was to marry a president oh wait a minute a cheating president! Her 35 years of exp. she keeps harping about all comes from Bill Clinton what has she done prior to her husband being governor of Arkansas whereas Obama's wife is even more educated than Hillary she also graduated from law school......Get a grip let's stop all this race talk lets's just pray that the best man win and since Hillary acts like one that includes her too!!!

Jay, Midland Texas (Sent Sunday, January 13, 2008 5:56 PM)

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