TheThanksgiving turkey pardoning is an annual tradition old enough that the White House isn't really sure when it started, and no one really expects the president to take the event, despite its age, all that seriously. This year, Obama seems to take a few god-natured gabs at the absurdity of the whole thing. "Now, I’m told that in order to prepare Liberty and Peace for their big day, the students exposed them to loud noises and flash bulbs so that they’d be ready to face the White House press corps," he said earlier today.  "This is actually true. They also received the most important part of their media training, which involves learning how to gobble without really saying anything."

After a few more somber words about hungry families, the president pardoned the turkeys and went over to the birds with Sasha and Malia -- who, after greeting the press-packed crowd with smiles at first, looked downright bored throughout the whole event (see photo above). While petting one of the turkeys, the president tried cajoling his daughters to do the same. "You want to pet it?" he asked Malia. Her response: a blank stare. Ah, teenagers.

Correction: We incorrectly, and embarrassingly, previously posted a story based on the 2010 turkey pardoning which featured some bored looking Obamas. It turns out that White House turkey pardonings only look the same to us.

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