Hillary Clinton Related To Angelina, Obama To Brad Pitt, Jokes Wacky Genealogical Society

Researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society released their semi-annual list of "quirky distant cousin facts about presidential candidates," and I personally think they went a little overboard this time. I realize that when we get into "distant" cousins, anything can happen, but if you connect someone to Kevin Bacon in like nine movies, can you even consider that a connection? Check this out: Barack Obama is a distant cousin of Brad Pitt, and Hillary Rodham Clinton is related to Pitt's girlfriend, Angelina Jolie. Clinton, who is of French-Canadian descent on her mother's side, is also a distant cousin of singers Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette. [Obama's] distant cousins include President George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson, Harry S. Truman and James Madison. Other Obama cousins include Vice President Dick Cheney, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and Civil War General Robert E. Lee. Last week, the following conversation took place: HEAD OF GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY: If we don't come up with some intriguing water cooler facts soon, people are gonna catch on that we've been blowing our funding on margarita pizza parties. EMPLOYEE: Why don't we dig up some crap about the presidential candidates? HEAD: Nah, that'd take too long. We got to get these facts out there quickly. Let's just make 'em up. EMPLOYEE: Well, Hillary Clinton is of French-Canadian descent, does that help? HEAD: Bingo! All right, take this down -- Hillary Clinton is very distant cousins with Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan, Neil Young, Rush, and the cast of SCTV. EMPLOYEE: Wait, slow down... HEAD: And Obama seems pretty presidential. He's related tooooo..... George Bush, Truman, um, Lyndon Johnson was all about racial equality, throw him in there. Kennedy? Nah, that's pushing it. Let's say Gerry Ford too. And what the hell, James Madison. EMPLOYEE: Hang on, I'm trying to get it all down. HEAD: And Robert E. Lee an
	Published: 2008-03-26 Provider: VH1