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Today in the White House Rose Garden, President Barack Obama carried out the long American tradition of pardoning the National Thanksgiving Turkey.

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Standing with the First Daughters Sasha and Malia, the president added a twist to the annual Thanksgiving rite by saving not one, but two turkeys from ending up on someone’s dinner table.  Obama also added a dose of humor during his speech stating that he has one more “gift” to give to the turkeys who are “moving forward.” 

“They say that life is all about second chances, and this November, I could not agree more. So in the spirit of the season, I have one more gift to give and it goes to a pair of turkeys named Cobbler and Gobbler,” said Obama. “These birds are moving forward,” joked the president.

This year, the White House added another unique twist to the tradition by allowing Americans to vote on which of two birds should be saved, Cobbler or Gobbler via Facebook. The tallied results showed that Cobber received 2,513 “likes” and 548 “shares” on his page, compared to Gobbler’s 2,230 likes and 484 shares. In the end, they were both pardoned.

“If Cobbler cannot fulfill his duties as the official White House turkey, Gobbler will be waiting in the wings,” said Obama.

Obama closed off the ceremony expressing how lucky it is to live in America.  

“Tomorrow, in the company of friends and loved ones, we will celebrate a uniquely American holiday. And think about just how lucky we are to live in the greatest nation on earth.”

Cobbler was sent to George Washington’s historic home in Virginia to be part of the “Christmas at Mount Vernon” exhibition. 

Watch the video below!