February 11, 2009 4:01 PM

Cheney And Obama: Clashing Cousins?

(CBS/AP)  Though they may spar across the political aisle, Vice President Dick Cheney is close enough to Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama to call him "cousin."

Eighth cousin, that is.

Lynne Cheney, the vice president's wife, revealed this tantalizing bit of political trivia during a television interview Tuesday.

She said she uncovered the long-ago ties between the two while researching her ancestry for her latest book, "Blue Skies, No Fences," a memoir about growing up in Wyoming.

"This is such an amazing American story that one ancestor ... could be responsible down the family lines for lives that have taken such different and varied paths as Dick's and Barack Obama," Lynne Cheney told MSNBC.

According to her spokeswoman, Sen. Obama, D-Ill., is a descendent of Mareen Duvall. This French Huguenot's son married the granddaughter of a Richard Cheney, who arrived in Maryland in the late 1650's from England, said Ginny Justice, a spokeswoman for Lynne Cheney.

Duvall was also a distant cousin to former President Harry Truman, CBS News correspondent Tara Mergener reports.

The vice president's full name is Richard B. Cheney.

A spokesman for Obama, who wants to be the first black U.S. president, offered a tongue-in-cheek response. "Every family has a black sheep," said spokesman Bill Burton.

Lynne Cheney did not reference the ancestral ties between her husband and Obama in the book.

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment See all 17 Comments
by liberalme October 18, 2007 1:02 PM EDT
Rushlimpdrug---The whole dang branch!!!

I don''t want any anti-Anerican on my family tree!
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by watcher269-2009 October 18, 2007 8:43 AM EDT
So, Cheney''s the White sheep of the family!!! Heeheehee To the Guy who''s complaining about hard news - well that went out of style when the Republicans came to Office and when Murdock turned Fox news into Trash Talk - there are no journalist on that staff only commentators according to Murdock - therefore they don''t have to adhere to Journalistic standards!
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by goodlucktu October 18, 2007 1:26 AM EDT
BILL MUST BE IN THAT CHAIN SOMEWHERE, HE''S KISSED EVERYBODY''S COUSIN.. AND IM SURE HILLARY''S CAMP HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS RELEASE.
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by kansas1946 October 17, 2007 11:59 PM EDT
A spokesman for Obama, who wants to be the first black U.S. president, offered a tongue-in-cheek response. %u201CEvery family has a black sheep,%u201D said spokesman Bill Burton.
********************

LMAO. What a GREAT response.
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by starleo146 October 17, 2007 10:21 PM EDT
Obama says every one has a black sheep in their family
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by rushlimpdrug October 17, 2007 9:45 PM EDT
I just made her cut that branch off. . . .
Posted by liberalme

so what part of the branch did you cut off the cheney or the dic.k?
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by dmgenet October 17, 2007 9:10 PM EDT
Is there not enough ''hard'' news that this fluff needs to posted?
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by feelfree1 October 17, 2007 8:13 PM EDT

socrates392,

Re: "kissing cousins"

Looks like you beat me to the punch.
Reply to this comment
by feelfree1 October 17, 2007 8:12 PM EDT

Re: "Eighth cousin, that is."

I would say that that doesn''t make them "clashing cousins", but rather, "kissing cousins".

This might help to explain Obama''s clear allegiance to Israel/AIPAC, and his willingness to wage an illegal war of aggression against Pakistan.
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by socrates392 October 17, 2007 8:11 PM EDT
Cheney And Obama: Clashing Cousins?

Better than kissing cousins . . .
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