[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.