    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [November 26, 2002]
    [Pages 2134-2135]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation Ceremony
    November 26, 2002

        Good afternoon, and welcome to the Rose Garden. I'm glad you all are
    here.
        I see the turkey standing there. [Laughter] He looks a little
    nervous, doesn't he? [Laughter] He probably thinks he's going to have a
    press conference. [Laughter]
        I really appreciate you coming to watch me give this bird a
    Presidential pardon. I'm especially glad to see all the young people who
    are here. Thank you for coming--and such wonderful looking costumes. We
    welcome the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Boy Scouts, and school students
    from the

    [[Page 2135]]

    Washington, DC, area. Thanks for coming to the White House.
        I wish my dog Barney was here. [Laughter] But I'm afraid Barney
    would have met his match with that turkey. [Laughter] So we kept him
    inside.
        I want to thank the Secretary of Agriculture
    for coming. Ann, it's great to see you. I appreciate all our
    distinguished guests for being here. I particularly want to thank Ron
    Prestage, who is the chairman of the National
    Turkey Federation. It turns out his dad, Bill,
    was the chairman of the National Turkey Federation. We kind of like
    father-and-son combos around here. [Laughter] It's also good to have
    Alice Johnson with us as well. Thank you all
    for coming.
        The Thanksgiving proclamation which I signed this morning is a
    Presidential tradition which began with George Washington. The days of
    Thanksgiving are an American tradition. We've observed this tradition
    since the Pilgrims. Americans have always been a grateful people: We're
    grateful for our freedom; we're grateful for our families; we're
    grateful for our beautiful country. Each year at Thanksgiving, we gather
    in that spirit to count our blessings and to share those blessings with
    our families and with others.
        On this holiday, American families will be thinking of loved ones
    far from home, especially members of our military, who defend our
    country. We remember those in other lands who suffer under oppression,
    who long for freedom, and we pray that they might one day live in a
    world at peace and in a free society. And in this Nation of many faiths,
    we ask that the almighty God continue to bless us and to watch over us.
        And now, as we look to our national day of Thanksgiving, I have the
    honor of carrying out an important Presidential tradition. The bird's
    name is Katie. [Laughter] Ron, it was awfully
    nice of you to name that bird after your daughter. It's a high honor to be named--to have that turkey
    named after your child. And it's a fine looking turkey. [Laughter]
        By virtue of this pardon, Katie is on her way not to the dinner
    table but to Kidwell Farm in Herndon, Virginia. There she'll live out
    her days as safe and comfortable as she can be.
        Thank you all for coming. Happy Thanksgiving. I look forward to
    having a conversation with Katie. Let's do it.

    [At this point, the President greeted audience members.]

        All right, thank you all for coming. Happy Thanksgiving.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:26 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Alice Johnson, president, National
    Turkey Federation. The Thanksgiving Day proclamation of November 21 is
    listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.