Alex Wong / Getty Images

President Barack Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, right, with Cobbler the turkey at the White House on Wednesday.

Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images

Cobbler is seen before being pardoned by President Obama at the White House.

AP reports: President Barack Obama pardoned two turkeys in an annual Thanksgiving rite on Wednesday, saying he wanted to offer the birds a second chance.

"They say life is full of second chances, and this November I couldn't agree more with that sentiment," a smiling Obama said in one of several lighthearted references to his re-election this month to a second term.

Cobbler, the newly designated national turkey, and his alternate, Gobbler, received a reprieve. Full Story

The tradition of pardoning a Thanksgiving turkey at the White House started with President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

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Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images

President Obama waves his hand as he pardons Cobbler. At left is National Turkey Federation Chairman Steve Willardsen.