Pardoning Turkeys

In case you missed it, yesterday was that magical day that only comes once a year: the pardoning of the traditional White House Thanksgiving turkeys. This year, the birds were named Marshmallow and Yam, and the two pardoned fowl will be heading off to Disneyland to star as the grand marshals of the Thanksgiving Day parade. They will then retire to a life of luxury on the Disney paddock for the remainder of their natural lives.

You can watch video of the pardoning ceremony here. Elisabeth Bumiller has a write-up in the NYTimes this morning. And in case your thoughts of turkey run to the more traditional (i.e. cooked) variety this Thanksgiving, I suggest this amusing little piece from McSweeney's.

While this year's was not the best turkey-pardoning ceremony ever (top honors in my book must go to the fictional one from "The West Wing" in which the staff puts the turkeys in the press secretary's office), they're always worth a glance - and in this time of strident debate, what better to unite us than a good turkey-pardoning? (No, I do not mean Scooter Libby).

Happy Thanksgiving Eve to you all. Enjoy it!