(CNN) - Perhaps, now the candidates will play nice.
For all their insistence on how unlike they are from one another, the three U.S. presidential candidates share some noteworthy family connections, the New England Historic Genealogical Society has found.
Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, who has made his opposition to the Iraq war a linchpin of his campaign, is distantly related not only to U.S. President George W. Bush but also to another wartime leader - former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Because of his shared ancestry with President Bush, Obama is also indirectly related to his rival on the Republican side, Sen. John McCain.
McCain, it turns out, is a sixth cousin of First Lady Laura Bush.
Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Clinton, is related to beatnik author Jack Kerouac, Canadian Prime Minster Pierre Trudeau and Camilla Parker-Bowles, wife of Prince Charles of England.
Clinton also shares ancestors with Grammy Award-winning singers Celine Dion and Madonna.
The senator won a Best Spoken Word Grammy for the audio version of her book, "It Takes a Village." Rival Obama also snagged one in the same category for his book "The Audacity of Hope."
Conservatives who sometimes accuse Democrats of being in bed with liberal Hollywood elites may have been handed one more round of ammunition by the Society's findings.
Clinton, the Society said, is related to Angelina Jolie. And Obama is related to Jolie's boyfriend Brad Pitt.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society, founded in 1845, says it is the oldest such organization in the country. Members spent three years tracing the lineage of the candidates.
Among their other findings:
McCain, the Vietnam War veteran who spent five years as a prisoner of war, descends from a long line of kings: Scottish King William the Lion, English King Edward I and French King Louis VII.
Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, is "related to millions of contemporary Americans – perhaps even a significant percentage of the population," the researchers said.
He is cousins with six U.S presidents, including Lyndon Johnson, Harry Truman and Gerald Ford. He is also linked to American artist Georgia O'Keefe, the Duchess of Windsor and two men who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Most surprisingly, Obama - the man who could become America's first African-American president - is linked by ancestry to Robert E. Lee, who commanded the armies of the Southern slave-holding states during the American civil war.
Bedfellows, it turns out, make for strange politics.
From CNN Politics
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It's a compliment to Brad Pitt that Obama is related to him distantly but I wonder if the same goes well for poor Jolie and Clinton.
This is newsworthy? What has happened to the real issues? I do not care about any of this...I care about the problems facing our nation TODAY and how they are going to be solved.
OF COURSE Hillary is related to Madonna and Kerouac
Awesomeness runs in her genes
Give me a break, who cares?
Big Deal..Man what you guys call news nowadays!
One Big Happy Family..
Who cares! Give the money you spent on this to the poor.
Hillary 08
I knew somehow Obama was related to Bush. They both have run dirty campaigns.
This is hilarious.
I bet Sen. Clinton wishes she was related to Winston Churchill instead of yet another adulterer ,Camilla Parker-Bowles!
Obama has TWO grammys, one for each of his books.
Long live King John the first!!
Does this mean that Bill is possibly related to Hillary and Hillary was so forgiving to Bill because Monica Lewinsky is her cousin.
It makes sense, Brad Pitt is a good actor...and so is Obama
Are you aware these candidates have not yet put forth a SOLUTION to ANY of the real issues facing the country? No, likely not, easier buying story lines from the Enquirer isn't it??
We're ALL related to each other – we all come from the same ancestors, first Adam and Eve and then the decedents of Noah.
Well, I am a direct decendent of Adam and Eve along with everyone else
in the world! That being the case, we are all related!
It looks like Leadership/Presidency runs in the blood for OBAMA... OBAMA 08.
While this is funny I dont see how this is really political. They can make their own choices as to who to support openly or privately.
Obama 08
Austin Texas
blah blah..
Aren't we all suppose to be 6 cousins to one another? That is what I've heard. I guess you really can't choose your relatives. Who you choose to call a friend and a mentor is another story?
Hillary and Celine... another reason to vote Obama.
Nice family trees.
whoops! news?
STOP FIGHTING, START UNITING!
DEMOCRAT '08
I'LL LVOTE FOR ANYONE RELATED TO BRAD PITT!!!!
Any idea of that clown Jack Cafferty's lineage?
I CAN SEE THE RESEMBLANCE.
OBAMA RELATED TO BRAD PITT
AND HILLARY TO CAMILA PARKER-BOWLES.
Yet again another pointless fact to try and distract us from the real issues in America. keep that garbage on TMZ. And I wonder if Jolie wanted anyone to know that?
OBAMA 08'
THIS IS SO STUPID AND NO ONE CARES!!!!!!!
GO HILLARY!!!!!!!!!
It figures that Obama is related to Bush.
The two great Uniters....
I bet that turns Hillarys stomach. If I were her it would make me sick.
They're also related with the ancient evil reptilian lineage of... XENU!
Sounds like world leadership and perverted Hollywood behavior is a "Family owned business" and nobody sees something wrong with that.
This is the dumbest thing I have ever read...
So what?
Hitler, Moussolini and Stalin also shared notable ancestors!
RFP and Ben: there were no such people as Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were merely REPRESENTATIVE of the first people.
OBamas Racist ancestors, are noble?
We've all heard these relations before. As it turns out, we are all related to VIPs in some way or another. It's just a variation on six degrees of separation.
More importantly.....WHO CARES?!
We are all brothers and sisters in one, occasionally dysfunctional, human family with one origin, one planet, one creation, and one destiny.
OBAMA is Related to JEREMIAH WRIGHT.
Did anyone check to see if Hillary was related to the little boy who cried wolf? It must be in the bloodline somewhere...
Ralph,
Guess which side they were on?!?!
OBAMA is also related to RAILA ODINGA,
The Prime Minister of KENYA.
Kerouac '08 !!!
Judging from the "mis-statements" coming from Hillary, I'm sure there's a relationship to Joseph Goebbels in her past.
Obama is the genetic embodiment of the unifiying theme of his campaign.
Trace back far enough and we're probably all related to Lancelot Link and Mata Hari.
"Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Clinton, is related..."
Nice wrong comma there.
I love Princess Diana....went to England for her funeral .....
Guess who I am voting for !!
Old News. If you read the Bible or the Koran. We are all brothers and sisters. That is why we hate and love each other so much.
COULD SOME ONE TELL ME..WHY THIS EVEN MATTERS???
this is really just fluff...we are trying to run a serious election here!
The Old Testament of the Bible tells us that we are all related. We are all descendents of Eve who mated with her sons.
Is any one related to Anakin Skywalker?
I cant beleive all the who cares this is interesting stuff. You would never think they were related. I wonder about who I am all releated to.
Are we going to have stories like this until the next primary? Good lord CNN, you CAN do better than this.
Move on. Nothing to see here. Another no-news day for CNN.
We are all descendant from Adam and Eve, so we're all cousins. Psh.
oh yeah, but this is definitely worth reading, although it provides absolutely no insight into the campaign.
Wow. Now you know it's a very slow day on the news front. I can't wait for the primaries to start back up again simply because we might actually have news-worthy headlines again.
They say you cannot choose your family but you can choose your pastor. I wonder if rev. Wright is family to Obama. I guess that would put the issue to bed.
Camilla is a B--. Hillary is a B-–.
Hey! If you believe the Bible, we all came from Noah!
eric in pa.......nicely put.........
And I guess if we go back far enough we are all related......you know Adam and Eve............that is if you believe the Old Testament.
Big deal. I am a descendent of Pancho Villa cabrones.
What??? Typical nonsense from CNN
Is this realy new. Who cares. My wife is related to Nixon. Does that make a better person? Does it give her an advantage over me?
And James Carvelle is related to ATTILA THE HUN!!!!!!!
More proof that royal blood lines rule all the governments of the world. This goes back to Masontry and secreat societies.
Madonna loves Hillary! Now they are related, That ROCKS!
Hillary 08!
seriously? this is news worthy?
Ben you are correct. And all are created by God – equal.
The reason our country is in so much economic and social trouble is because our news agencies feed us these silly stories rather than REAL news with REAL analysis.
Descended from kings, the son and grandson of admirals, John McCain has the right stuff to lead our country at this time.
And all this time I thought Barack was an African American. Hmmm.... Turns out he is just a typical white man.
I can see the resemblance between Hillary and Camilla!
It can't be mere coincidence that these elite members of society are related other elite members of society.
And we care about this because...... God, CNN, some days you're like opening a People or US magazine. YUCK
Obama related to Bush. LMAO...Guess that's why they both promise "CHANGE" as a platform but neither one did or will deliver it.
GO HILLARY GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, as they always say: "Politics makes strange bedfellows"!
I am afraid to know if Obama is related to me because he might sell me out like he did his grandmother.
Angelina Jolie? . . She wishes.
RALPH, YOU need a diploma and Education
So Obama is related to Bush AND Cheney. That explains a great deal.
Obama, you rock!
Jolie got the Looks THATS FOR SURE : )
not seeing it