President Bush pardons his last bird

by Mark Silva

There's something inherently sad about watching a retiring President George W. Bush pardon his last turkey.

The president pardoned 14 others, and commuted the prison sentences of two more, this week with an exercise of constitutional authority that he rarely has asserted during his two terms in office - only his father, in modern times, has granted fewer acts of clemency, though he had just one term as president.

It is the extra-constitutional acts for which this retiring president may be best remembered - the sweeping war powers he asserted under authorizations of military force granted by Congress after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and in the invasion of Iraq, the far-reaching executive powers he asserted with the secret authorization of domestic surveillance, the questionable assertions of "executive privilege'' he made in withholding the testimony of aides in the face of congressional inquiries of the firings of prosecutors and other matters.

So, somehow, the ceremonial pardoning of a turkey which will in turn star in a Disneyland Thanksgiving Day parade following the presidential sendoff from the Rose Garden today has an air of triviality to it - with the added sentimentality of a president performing this traditional rite for the last time. Bush, who has vowed to "sprint'' to the finish line, said the pardoned turkeys, Pumpkin and Pecan, will not be "trotting'' to their own.

"This is my final Thanksgiving as the president,'' Bush said today. "Over the past eight 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 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 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. That's because in keeping with a longstanding tradition, Pumpkin and Pecan are hereby granted a full and unconditional -- unconditional presidential pardon.

"I wish all Americans a happy Thanksgiving, and may God bless you,'' Bush said.

The ceremony did not pass without a reminder of the history behind it, or the "democracy'' behind the naming of the celebrated turkeys (or a joke about that little attack-dog formerly known as Barney):

"This is a tradition that dates back to the presidency of Harry Truman. Just to be safe, I will be pardoning a second bird in the unlikely event the main act chickens out. Turkeys are not only the ones on edge this morning -- you see, it turns out the Rose Garden is Barney's turf. So the press corps is a little nervous, as well.

"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. Pumpkin is right there. Pecan is in an undisclosed location.

"Pumpkin and Pecan have an exciting trip ahead of them: Later today, they will fly to Disneyland aboard "Turkey One." 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.''