She was competitive enough to play quarterback in her brothers’ football games. She had political ambitions, but couldn’t go after them because women simply weren’t allowed in big league politics in her prime.

In her fifth year of organizing the annual Women’s Conference, California First Lady Maria Shriver has managed to pull in some big names.

Last week California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed Republican John McCain for president. Sunday, the governor’s wife, Maria Shriver, endorsed Democrat Barack Obama.

We’ve come to expect political dynasties. They’re a fact of life in the U.S., perhaps even more than royal succession is in the modern UK.