The President, once again, participated in a yearly Thanksgiving tradition at the White House today, sparing two turkeys from the blade and pardoning them to a life in Mt. Vernon, Virginia. (Which may or may not be better.)
President Obama, with daughters Malia and Sasha in tow, joked, “Recently I've been taking a series of executive actions that don't require congressional approval. Well, here's another one: We can't wait to pardon these turkeys. Literally.”
The audience laughed, Malia smiled. Sort of.
The two birds pardoned today are named Liberty and Peace, but only the white-feathered, nonplussed Liberty was on display. According to the White House, “Both birds were raised in Willmar, Minnesota” and will be a part of the “Christmas at Mt. Vernon” program at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens. Though this may only be a brief repreive. ABC News reported that last year’s pardoned fowl died after about a year because of heart problems brought on by the fact that they’re bred to be overweight.
This afternoon the First Family will go to a food bank to donate two, less happy, dressed turkeys. Also this provides us the opportunity to link to this Thanksgiving-themed West Wing clip.