Seems having the name “Obama” gets lawbreakers a break.

“Nicanor Obama began to realize he might be on to a good thing when he didn’t get a speeding ticket not long ago. After stopping the 28-year-old for a little lead-footing near the Verizon Center, a District police officer looked at his driver’s license and put the citation book away.

“He said, ‘Well, I’m going to let you go because you have the Obama name’ ” is how the Arlington County resident recalled the encounter.

Since Election Day, his moniker has sparked goodwill, from nightclub freebies to hearty handshakes from fellow students at the University of the District of Columbia, where he studies political science. “I’m not related to the president, but I think Obama is a good name to have right now.”

Their lives might not have changed as dramatically as a certain Chicago-based Obama family, but the area’s non-Barack Obamas have been basking in a little low-watt glory of their own. Suddenly, having the most famous last name in the world means cashing a check, flashing an ID or making a dinner reservation might never be the same.

“I signed up for a Harris Teeter card the other day, and the woman was, like, Obama?,” said Denise Maye Obama, 19, of Alexandria. “She said: ‘That’s a first. Are you related to the president?’ Everyone asks if I’m related to the president now. One of these times I’m going to say yes, just for the fun of it.”

Kind of doubt that the officer said that, but then officers have the desecration to let people off with a warning or nothing at all. Yet I wonder how many others will use the name “Obama” to break the law, or use it for special favors that go beyond “theater tickets”.

Better yet if – as I predict – Obama’s approval numbers – only at 58% now, begin to plummet once people note what they wrought – there will be a line at the court to get name changes.