Obama makes final Thanksgiving turkey pardon
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama got the holiday mood started at the White House on Wednesday with the traditional pardoning of the national Thanksgiving turkey, this time with his nephews standing in for daughters Malia and Sasha.
The light-hearted ceremony in the Rose Garden also featured Iowa-raised turkeys Tater and Tot, with the latter receiving the formal reprieve.
Obama said he has used the past seven pardon ceremonies to embarrass his daughters with what he called a “corny-copia of dad jokes” about turkeys. “This year, they had a scheduling conflict. Actually, they just couldn’t take my jokes anymore,” the president said.
His nephews, Austin and Aaron Robinson, filled in admirably. Obama joked they had not yet been turned cynical by Washington. “They still believe in bad puns. They still believe in the grandeur of this occasion,” Obama said. “They still have hope.”