President Obama Pardons Courage The Turkey

The annual presidential pardoning of the turkey — perhaps made most famous in this West Wing clip — has to rank up there as one of the silliest things required of the president (particularly in this Decade of Hell!). It’s also, according to Mark Knoller, a recent addition to the president’s yearly holiday schedule:

It’s a long-standing tradition for American turkey growers to present the U.S. president with a Thanksgiving turkey. Pardoning the bird is a more recent practice. Some presidents were clearly more in stuffing & eating the turkey than pardoning it.

“I hadn’t been quite sure what I was going to eat Thanksgiving,” said President Johnson before Thanksgiving in 1964, “but I am glad I can eat turkey instead of crow.

In 1981, on receiving a Tom Turkey from the National Turkey Federation, President Reagan was asked what he’s going to do with Tom. “Eat him,” said Mr. Reagan straightforwardly.

President Obama did his inaugural turn at the turkey pardoning stand today and appeared to take it all in stride: “Is there an official gesture?” He asked, before sending Courage the Turkey on his happy way. (Video below). The White House website also had some fun with the high noon turkey pardon (video also below).

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