[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 47 (Monday, November 26, 2007)]
[Pages 1526-1527]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation Ceremony

November 20, 2007

    The President. Good morning. Welcome to the Rose Garden. Thanks for 
coming. We're glad you're here at the White House. Each of you is taking 
part in a tradition that goes back to the days of Harry Truman. And to 
paraphrase Harry today, we have a message for our two feathered friends: 
You cannot take the heat, and you're definitely going to stay out of the 
kitchen. [Laughter]
    I want to thank the representatives of the National Turkey 
Federation who have joined us--the chairman, Ted Seger. Appreciate you 
coming, Ted, thanks. Ted brought his mom--glad you're here--7 brothers, 
and over 30 family members, I think it is. No wonder there are so many 
people in the Rose Garden. [Laughter] But we're glad you're here. 
Welcome.
    I also want to welcome President Joel Brandenberger. The turkeys in 
today's ceremony come from the Seger family farm in Dubois, Indiana. So 
I guess you can say they come with the chairman's seal of approval.
    I also thank everybody who voted online to choose the names for our 
guests of honor. And I'm pleased to announce the winning names. They are 
``May'' and ``Flower.'' They're certainly better than the names the Vice 
President suggested, which was ``Lunch'' and ``Dinner.'' [Laughter]
    The national observation of Thanksgiving goes back to the days of 
our Founders. They asked Americans to give thanks for a nation that 
Benjamin Franklin famously compared to a rising sun. Over the years, 
Americans have found much to be thankful for. We still see our country 
the way Franklin did, or, as the poet Carl Sandburg put it, ``In the 
crimson light of a rising sun fresh from the hand of God.''
    This Thanksgiving, we are grateful for a harvest big enough to feed 
us all and millions more. We're grateful for citizens who reach out to 
those who struggle and for neighbors in need--from neighbors in need to 
the strangers they've never met. We're grateful for working Americans 
who've given us the longest period of uninterrupted job creation on 
record and a prosperity that lifts our citizens. And we are grateful for 
one blessing in particular, the men and women of the United States 
military. They've worn proudly the uniform of our country. They have 
offered their lives in our defense. And each year, thousands more 
volunteer to join their noble ranks and to keep us safe. And so on this 
Thanksgiving, we keep our--we keep

[[Page 1527]]

their families and their loved ones in our prayers and in our thoughts.

[At this point, the turkeys gobbled.]

    The President. Thank you. [Laughter]
    America's children also have a special place in our thoughts during 
this season. Don't you agree? Today we're proud to be joined from--
youngsters from the Camp Fire USA. We're glad you all are here. It's a 
nationwide organization that helps children become caring and confident 
future leaders. One of the things Laura and I have been most thankful 
for over the years is the chance to meet children from across the 
country and to hear from thousands of others. Some send photos; some 
offer prayers; some of them ask about Barney. A second grader from 
California once asked me, ``Do you ever get a headache?'' Not really, 
only when I have a press conference. [Laughter] Some children send 
letters with the same--with the simple phrase, ``God bless America.'' 
Others write about relatives serving in the war, and they hope I 
remember them.
    Earlier this year, a little girl in Oregon sent me a picture she had 
drawn. It's a large American flag, and it stood in the glow of bright 
orange sun. The spirit that inspired Franklin and Sandburg and other 
generations of America lives in the heart of this child. She sees 
America in the light of a rising sun. And so do I, and so do millions of 
our citizens. It's hard to be anything but grateful when you live in a 
country full of compassionate and decent citizens, a land our Fathers 
always knew was blessed by the Almighty God.
    And so now I have a task, and that is to grant a full Presidential 
pardon to May and Flower. They'll be shortly flown to Disney World, 
where they will serve as honorary grand marshals for the Thanksgiving 
Day Parade. I hope that honor doesn't go to their head. [Laughter] May 
they live the rest of their lives in blissful gobbling. And may all 
Americans enjoy a holiday full of love and peace. God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:23 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Joel Brandenberger, president, 
National Turkey Federation.