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Skriven 2004-11-17 23:33:00 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0411172) for Wed, 2004 Nov 17
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President Pardons "Biscuits and Gravy" in Annual Turkey Ceremony
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 17, 2004

President Pardons "Biscuits and Gravy" in Annual Turkey Ceremony
The Rose Garden

President's Remarks
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˙˙˙˙˙In Focus: Thanksgiving 2004

10:15 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. Welcome. Welcome to a
beautiful day here in the Rose Garden. I'm pleased to welcome Biscuits --
(laughter) -- the National Thanksgiving Turkey. Biscuits, welcome.
(Laughter.)

This is an election year, and Biscuits had to earn his spot at the White
House. Over the past week, thousands of voters cast ballots on the White
House website. It was a close race. You might say it was neck-and-neck.
(Laughter.) When all the voters were in -- all the votes were in, Biscuits
and his running mate, Gravy, prevailed over the ticket of Patience and
Fortitude. (Laughter.) The Vice President and I are here to congratulate
Biscuits for a race well run.

It came down to a few battleground states. (Laughter.) It was a tough
contest, and it turned out some 527 organizations got involved --
(laughter) -- including Barnyard Animals for Truth. (Laughter.) There was a
scurrilous film that came out, "Fahrenheit 375 Degrees at 10 Minutes Per
Pound." (Laughter.) Now, it's a time for healing.

This day took a lot of planning. I want to thank all those who helped. I
appreciate Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman. She has served our nation
with class and distinction. I'm going to miss having her in my Cabinet and
I wish her all the best. (Applause.)

Congressman, I'm honored you are here. Thanks for coming. I know that
you're deeply concerned about the fate of this year's Thanksgiving turkey.
You're a man of deep compassion.

I want to thank everyone here with the National Turkey Federation,
especially John O'Carroll and Alice Johnson. Welcome. I want to thank Kevin
Foltz and his family for the fine job they did in raising Biscuits and
Gravy on their farm in Mathias, West Virginia. They fed the turkeys
American corn and American soybeans. And from the looks of it, he had a
pretty healthy appetite. (Laughter.) I'm also grateful to Kevin's children,
Kolby, Kollin and Korey, who helped to coach the turkeys to face the
cameras on their big day here.

We've also got some special guests from the Immaculate Conception School.
I'm glad you took this field trip to the White House. I'm grateful to your
school and the parish for sharing some of your blessings during the
holidays. This is the 40th year Immaculate Conception has provided food
baskets to families in the Shaw neighborhood, to make sure they have plenty
to eat for their Thanksgiving dinner. For the sake of our feathered guests,
I'm not going to elaborate on the contents of those baskets. (Laughter.)

The Thanksgiving tradition dates back to our nation's earlier days. We are
a nation founded by men and women who deeply felt their dependence on God
and always gave Him thanks and praise. As we prepare for Thanksgiving in
2004, we have much to be thankful for: our families, our friends, our
beautiful country, and the freedom granted to each one of us by the
Almighty.

During this holiday season, we think especially of our men and women of the
armed forces, many of whom are spending Thanksgiving far from home. Last
Thanksgiving, I had the privilege of meeting with our military serving in
Baghdad area of Iraq. Those men and women, like all who wear our nation's
uniform, have volunteered to serve. Through their courage and skill and
sacrifice they are keeping our country safe and free. America is proud of
our military. We're proud of our military families. And we gave them our
thanks every day of the year.

The National Thanksgiving Turkey will soon be on stage for all to see, but
he's not going to end up on the table. I'm granting him a Presidential
Pardon. Not only will I grant the pardon to Biscuits, I will also grant one
to Gravy, as well. I wish them well as they begin their new life at Frying
Pan Park in the great state of Virginia.

Laura and I and the Vice President wish every American a happy
Thanksgiving. May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless our
country. (Applause.)

END 10:21 A.M. EST
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