    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
    [November 26, 2008]
    [Pages 1396-1397]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation Ceremony
    November 26, 2008

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Welcome to the Rose Garden for the
    pardoning of the National Thanksgiving Turkey.
        This is a tradition that dates back to the Presidency of Harry
    Truman. Just to be safe, I will be pardoning a second bird--[laughter]--
    in the unlikely event the main act chickens out. [Laughter] Turkeys are
    not only the ones on edge this morning; you see, it turns out the Rose
    Garden is

    [[Page 1397]]

    Barney's turf. [Laughter] So the press corps is a little nervous as
    well. [Laughter]
        I appreciate the representatives of the National Turkey Federation
    who have joined us: President Joel Brandenberger, Chairman Paul Hill, Paul's wife
    Mary June. Today's birds were hatched on the
    Hill family farm in Ellsworth, Iowa. Paul's son Nathan and daughter-in-law Betsy,
    along with grandsons Collin and Connor, did a fabulous job of raising the guests of honor.
        I also welcome the children here from Cloverly Elementary School.
    And after I make my brief remarks, you will be welcome to come up and
    pet our feathered friends.
        This is an election year, so it is fitting that the names of these
    two birds were chosen through the democratic process. After a long,
    drawn-out election season, when the people finally spoke, the name of
    the ticket sent here to the White House was Pumpkin and Pecan.
    [Laughter] Pumpkin is right there. [Laughter] Pecan is in an undisclosed
    location. [Laughter]
        Pumpkin and Pecan have an exciting trip ahead of them. Later today
    they will fly to Disneyland aboard ``Turkey One.'' [Laughter] Pumpkin
    will be the honorary grand marshal of Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day
    Parade. Together, these birds will gobble the rest of their days in
    ``the happiest place on Earth.'' I just hope they stay humble there.
    [Laughter]
        This is my final Thanksgiving as the President. Over the past 8
    years, I have been given many reasons to be thankful. I'm thankful to
    our men and women in uniform, and I am incredibly proud to have been
    their Commander in Chief. I am thankful for the armies of compassion,
    volunteers who feed the hungry and shelter the poor. I am thankful for
    the teachers and nurses and pastors and police officers and
    firefighters, and others who serve their neighbors and better their
    communities.
        I'm thankful for the wonderful and supporting family that I have
    been blessed with. I'm grateful to Laura for her
    love. I'm grateful for two Thanksgiving miracles who were blessed--who
    we were blessed with 27 years ago: Barbara
    and Jenna. I'm thankful for the fact that
    my mother is doing well. And I--[applause]. And
    this year, we're looking forward to having another place at our
    Thanksgiving table with a son-in-law, and I'm
    thankful for Henry.
        Most of all, I thank the American people for the tremendous
    privilege of serving as the President. In recent weeks, I've talked a
    lot about sprinting to the finish. Yet I've assured these turkeys they
    will not be trotting to their finish. [Laughter] That's because in
    keeping with a longstanding tradition, Pumpkin and Pecan are hereby
    granted a full and unconditional Presidential pardon.
        I wish all Americans a happy Thanksgiving, and may God bless you.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:20 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Henry Hager, husband of Jenna Bush
    Hager. The Thanksgiving Day proclamation of November 21 is listed in
    Appendix D at the end of this voulme.