President George W. Bush speaks before granting a pardon to a turkey named Pumpkin during the annual White House Turkey Presidential Pardon presentation in the Rose Garden at the White House November 26, 2008 in Washington, DC.
President Bush: This is my final Thanksgiving as the President. 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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.) 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. (Laughter.) 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. (Applause.)