Obama, Palin '10th cousins through a common ancestor'

London, Oct 14 (ANI): Genealogists have revealed that Barack Obama and Sarah Palin are 10th cousins through a common ancestor, John Smith, a 17th century Protestant pastor who was an early settler in Massachusetts.

Ancestry.com, based in Provo, Utah, found that the two politicians, who could face each other in the 2012 race for the White House, are both related to Smith.

"It is not unusual to find family members on different ends of the political spectrum," the Telegraph quoted Anastasia Tyler, an Ancestry.com genealogist, as saying.

"This election season is an ideal time to look into the family trees of our candidates and their critics to learn more about the ties that make them all part of this great country," Tyler added. (ANI)