Blood

Seems unlikely to Bitter Laughter, but it does make one wonder -- am I related to Dick Cheney? Let us hope not.

My condolences to the Obama family (the Cheney side excluded) for their bad news.

They may be polar opposites politically but US Vice-President Dick Cheney and Democratic candidate Barack Obama are related, Mr Cheney's wife says.

Lynne Cheney said she had discovered while doing family research for a new book that her husband and the Illinois senator were eighth cousins.

She said she traced a common ancestor of the two men to be a 17th century immigrant from France.

. . .

Mr Obama's spokesman, Bill Burton, responded to the news by saying: "Every family has a black sheep."