Barack Obama Reluctant To Discuss Brangelina Family Ties
 Monday, March 31st, 2008

Well, this just takes the cake.  Barack Obama was on The View Friday, and Joy Behar asked Barack about the media reports that he is related to Brad Pitt.  The news originally came from the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS):  researcher Gary Boyd Roberts issued a press release via NEHGS of the alleged family ties presidential candidates Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and John McCain have.  The media took this "news" and ran with it (at least the Obama and Clinton portion of it), and it immediately hit all of the networks and was spat back out as fact via feeds to local news affiliates across America.

Not to mention entertainment and tabloid shows.  After all, the reports--compiled by Boyd and "several genealogists" (unnamed)--claimed Barack is related to Brad Pitt and six former U.S. Presidents; Hillary Clinton is related to Madonna, Celine Dion, and Angelina Jolie; and John McCain is related to King Louis VII and William the Conqueror.  There is no listing for Ron Paul, but stick with me, I'll get to that in a minute.

Isn't it a coincidence that the two Democratic presidential candidates - halfway through the primaries, noless - are suddenly linked to the two most popular people in the world?  (And by that, I mean Brad and Angelina.)  Just too good to be true. 

So here's Barack Obama's response on The View when Joy asks him about his so-called family ties:  "Obviously, uh...yeah.  I--I guess we're ninth cousins - somethin' removed or something," Barack replied.  "Yeah.  I mean, I think, I think he got the, uh, he--he got the better side of the gene pool you know, he, he uh--"

Barbara Walters, ever the peacemaker, interrupted to tell Barack how "sexy looking" he is, and seemed to be gauging his response to whether or not it was time to turn the conversation serious.  Watch.

Here's another astounding coincidence:  among the top 7 signs that someone is lying, according to SixWise.com:

*No eye contact.  Generally if someone is lying they will not look you in the eye, at least during a certain part of the conversation.  Normally, people make eye contact for at least half of a conversation, so anything less than this can be suspicious.
*Change in voice.  A lot of stammering (umm, ah), or throat clearing could indicate a lie.
*Unusual body language.  If a person...fidgets with their hands, raises their shoulders, turns away from you...in other words, if they act nervous or uncomfortable -- it could mean they're telling a lie.  Also watch out for blushing.
*Something sounds fishy.
*Changes subject easily.  If someone is lying and you change the subject, chances are high that they'll go right along with it.  A person telling the truth, however, will likely ask you why you changed the subject and want to go back to it.
*Humor or sarcasm.  A guilty person will often try to change the subject using humor or sarcasm.

I am not implying that Barack Obama lied about anything.  Simply saying his body language here is clearly indicative of being uncomfortable with the question, and/or knowing something we don't know.  (Like that the MSM will use any excuse - and has been for a year now - to promote only three candidates...)  Don't bite the hand that feeds you, right?  He's a smart man.

These genealogy press releases are ridiculous.  Why are the specific researchers making this declaration not even being named?  And why are there so few ties for Republican(s) - only John McCain, with a short list of primarily aggressive monarchs?  And Ron Paul, who has not dropped out of the race, doesn't have his name once on NEHGS' site.  Even if you granted them that the GOP has declared McCain the "winner," I would assume research this extensive took quite a bit of time, as in before Super Tuesday.  So where are Paul's results?

At first I was thinking (benefit of doubt and all that) it could be because Ron Paul is a Texas Congressman--maybe the NEHGS doesn't have any records from that area, being in New England.  But then I remember Ron Paul was born in Pennsylvania; and Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.  I'm pretty sure PA is closer.

Since genealogy is so popular out of the blue, and we're believing everything we hear, Elvis Presley's ancestors have just been linked to William the Conqueror, which would make Lisa Marie Presley (and over 400,000 other people) related to John McCain, too.  Maybe FOX will give them a duet on American Idol in light of this news.

Ah well, what do I know?  The only people interested in genealogy that I've met have been nutjobs, and I think that genealogy software was invented to rip you off, and that our roots all trace back to the same place anyhow.  You either believe we came from Adam & Eve, or you believe we came from apes, or cavemen, right? - whatever way, the tree ends at the beginning and we're all related and that has nothing to do with the serious issues America is facing.

I'm not blaming this on Joy Behar.  I'm just taking out my frustration that the media is willing to reporting on reports of reports of reports (of reports of reports of reports, etc.) going back one thousand years ago.  And they're leaving out one entire candidate from their vocabulary.  Hoorah!  How long can we distract the American people?  Hoorah!

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