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Ochocinco glad to know new pal Boehner is powerful

Two days after Chad Ochocinco seemingly was introduced to American politics, his curiosity remained piqued.

The Patriots wide receiver tweeted throughout President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night, a collection of thoughts that culminated in a Twitter exchange with Speaker of the House John Boehner, a Republican from Cincinnati -- ironically where Ochocinco spent his first 10 NFL seasons.

Boehner caught the attention of Ochocinco, who wondered during the address about the identity of the unsmiling man seated behind the president. After tweeting at Boehner twice, the speaker responded by wishing Ochocinco luck in the Super Bowl.

Ochocinco told reporters Thursday the two exchanged contact information and made plans to meet after the season is over. He also asked a reporter where Boehner fell in the presidential line of succession.

Told that the speaker is second in line after the vice president, Ochocinco, who's also Twitter pals with Mexican president Felipe Calderon, was impressed.

"He's a pretty powerful man, then," he said. "For him to contact me back, it's awesome."

Boehner now has a sliver of a relationship with Ochocinco, more or less putting him on even footing with Bill Belichick.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.