Obama Turkey Pardons-- With a wave of his hand, President Barack Obama on Wednesday gave two plump turkeys a Thanksgiving reprieve, noting that without his intervention, "they'd end up next to the mashed potatoes and stuffing."

The official national Thanksgiving turkey is a 19-week-old, 45-pound bird named Liberty. Its alternate, also spared, is a turkey of the same age and size named Peace.

Liberty sat calmly as Obama, accompanied by daughters Sasha and Malia, offered a blessing, his hand over the turkey's head. Obama said Liberty had the distinction of being "the luckiest bird on the face of the earth."

"Right now, he's also probably one of the most confused," Obama said.

Obama jokingly cast his pardon as yet another of his "We Can't Wait" initiatives. "Recently, I've been taking a series of executive actions that don't require congressional approval," the president said. "Well, here's another one. We can't wait to pardon these turkeys."