Obama saves turkey from Thanksgiving chop

November 28, 2013 08:37

President Barack Obama saved a turkey from ending up on a Thanksgiving dinner table today, an annual White House ritual on the eve of the popular US holiday.

"The office of the presidency, the most powerful position in the world, brings with it many awesome and solemn responsibilities -- this is not one of them," joked Obama as he announced his pardon for a plump 37 lb (17 kilo) turkey named Popcorn.

"By the power vested in me... you have a full reprieve from cranberry sauce and stuffing," Obama added in a lighthearted ceremony, flanked by his daughters Sasha and Malia.

Popcorn escaped the butcher's block after edging out a rival bird, Caramel, in a consultation conducted by the White House on the Twitter and Facebook social networks.

Caramel, however, was also spared. "He's not sticking around -- he's already busy raising money for his next campaign," Obama quipped.

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