THE TENSION: Bush Pardons a Real Turkey

I was sure this bird would be John Kerry, but alas, Bush wasn't pardoning a jive turkey.

Remarks by the President at the Pardoning of the National Thanksgiving Turkey
From the Rose Garden:
We're here in the Rose Garden. This is a place where Barney likes to hang out. Barney is my dog. And he likes to chase a soccer ball here. He came out a little early, as did Flyer, and instead of chasing the soccer ball, he chased the bird. (Laughter.) And it kind of made the turkey nervous. See, the turkey was already nervous to begin with. Nobody has told him yet about the pardon I'm about to give him. (Laughter.)

Thanksgiving at the White House, 2006
This year marks the 59th anniversary of the National Thanksgiving Turkey presentation. Though live Thanksgiving turkeys have been presented intermittently to presidents since the Lincoln administration, the current ceremony dates to 1947, when the first National Thanksgiving Turkey was presented to President Harry Truman.

Thanksgiving Day, 2006
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

The Truth About Turkey and Thanksgiving
(American Heritage) -- Every autumn the President of the United States performs a solemn duty. Presented with a prize turkey intended for his Thanksgiving table, he demurs. He graciously accepts the bird but cannot bring himself to have it killed. He grants it a presidential pardon, sending it to live out its old age in some poultry retirement community. Here’s a question: Which President started this venerable tradition?

President Bush Pardons A Real Turkey
(CBS/AP) -- He was going to pardon the National Thanksgiving Turkey anyway, but President Bush figured he really owed the bird this time. His dog had just scared the stuffing out of it.

"I am granting a full presidential pardon so they can live out their lives as safe as can be," the president declared.