'For Him to Discard Me Like That Was Devastating'

Just imagine if Warren Buffett wasn't a darling of the left and a close personal pal of Barack Obama. He'd be trashed as cold, cruel and mean-spirited for cutting off his granddaughter.

TWO years ago, billionaire Warren Buffett cut his son's adopted daughter, Nicole, out of the family inheritance, telling her, "I have not emotionally or legally adopted you as a grandchild, nor have the rest of my family adopted you as a niece or a cousin."

Now the 32-year-old struggling artist - who can't afford health insurance or cable television - opens up to Marie Claire magazine about her ousting.

Nicole, of Berkeley, Calif., and her twin sister were adopted at age 4 when Buffett's youngest son, Peter, married Nicole's biological mother. The two divorced in 1993, but, Marie Claire reports, Nicole was "embraced as kin by the larger Buffett family - especially Susan, Warren's first wife, an avid music lover and cabaret performer."

Nicole tells the magazine, "The first thing most people think of when they hear my last name is money." Super investor Buffett - who was worth $50 billion as recently as September - lives modestly in Omaha, Neb., where he sent his children to public school. He earmarked the bulk of his Berkshire Hathaway shares for charity in 2006.

So when Nicole chose to participate in Jamie Johnson's indie documentary "The One Percent" - which focused on children born into money - the Oracle of Omaha was furious. In the film, Nicole says, "I've been very blessed to have my education taken care of, and I have had my living expenses taken care of while I'm in school."

Nicole then went on "Oprah" to promote the movie, confessing, "It would be nice to be involved with creating things for others with that money and to be involved in it. I feel completely excluded from it."

Hey, maybe Oprah can stage a familiy reunion here. Bring in Obama, Buffett and the girl and see if they can all chip in and at least get her some health insurance. I mean, we're talking billions between them, can't they dig down deep and foot her tab?

"For him to discard me like that was devastating," Nicole told the magazine. "It permanently divided our family."

C'mon, Warren, man up. At least get her some cable and health care.