President Obama, center, with daughters Malia, far right, Sasha, second from the right, pardoning the National Thanksgiving Turkey, Courage, in a ceremony in the North Portico of the White House, in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009. With Obama is the Chairman of the National Turkey Federation, Walter Pelletier. Woman on left is unidentified. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
WASHINGTON (AP) — After 10 months in office, President Barack Obama granted his first pardon – to “Courage,” a turkey spared the Thanksgiving table.
Accompanied by daughters Sasha and Malia, Obama honored a White House holiday tradition that dates to Harry Truman’s time as president.
The president said, “Thanks to the intervention of Malia and Sasha, because I was planning to eat this sucker, Courage will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate.” He said “Courage” is pardoned, “before I change my mind” and will get to live out his life in Disneyland. Obama paid tribute to the military men and women serving around the world.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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