Clinton Gives Turkey Pardon, Himself a Rest

WASHINGTON (Reuter) - Upholding a 50-year White House tradition, President Clinton pardoned a 65-pound turkey Wednesday, sparing it from becoming Thanksgiving dinner like most of its kind.

Hoarse from his 12-day Asian trip, Clinton granted the pardon in ceremony in the White House Rose Garden and then planned to give himself a rest by going to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland for the holiday weekend.

"Tomorrow, 45 million turkeys will pay the supreme sacrifice for our Thanksgiving," Clinton said.

"So, continuing a tradition begun 50 years ago by President Truman, I am going to keep one turkey off of the Thanksgiving dinner table by giving pardon to a turkey from Ohio that will now go to a petting zoo," he added.

"We can all be grateful, therefore, that there will be one less turkey in Washington, D.C. tomorrow," he added.

The turkey, presented to Clinton by the National Turkey Federation and named Carl, was raised by an Ohio family with four children. It was driven to Washington Tuesday and spent the night in a hotel along with an alternate brought along in case of mishap.

Both Carl and the alternate, which was not named, will be sent to Kidwell Farm's petting zoo in Herndon, Va.

In past years turkeys have gotten excited at the event and one fluttered mightily when appearing with President Ronald Reagan, prompting the White House to sedate the animals.

White House spokesman Mike McCurry said the turkey would be sedated, but Jim Cooper of the National Turkey Federation said it was not drugged, saying it was "naturally tame" and used to people because it was raised by a large family.

In another long-standing White House tradition, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton accepted the White House Christmas tree in a separate ceremony Wednesday.

The president, who returned earlier Wednesday from 12 days in Hawaii, Australia, the Philippines and Thailand, has been ordered by his doctor to rest his vocal cords, badly strained during the trip.

McCurry said incoming White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles would present Clinton with a thick briefing book Wednesday outlining recommendations to fill Cabinet vacancies that have opened up since Clinton won re-election.

Clinton then planned to go to Camp David, the wooded presidential retreat in western Maryland, later in the day for the holiday weekend, returning Sunday.

There Clinton will mark Thanksgiving on Thursday by eating turkey with his family and friends.

McCurry said the president would study the binder over the weekend but said he had been ordered by his doctor not to talk on the phone and was not expected to make any decisions.

The spokesman said he did not know what was in the binder, saying there were only two copies -- one each for Clinton and Bowles, who is replacing outgoing Chief of Staff Leon Panetta.