THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Bush Rocks Plymouth Story

By Jon Ward, Washington Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007

The battle over Thanksgiving history just got a lot more interesting, thanks to President Bush.

Mr. Bush's visit yesterday to Berkeley Plantation, in Charles City County, Va., was a major blow for the Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock, along with their Indian guide, Squanto.

Most Americans think the Thanksgiving holiday originated in 1621 with the first Thanksgiving feast, in Plymouth, Mass.

Mr. Bush, however, paid homage to the 38 English settlers led by Capt. John Woodlief, who knelt in prayer on Dec. 4, 1619, upon arriving at what is now Berkeley Plantation.

"Few Americans remember much about Berkeley. They don't know the story of the Berkeley Thanksgiving," Mr. Bush said, during a speech intended to remind Americans of all they have to be grateful for.

Mr. Bush, the 12th U.S. president to visit Berkeley Plantation, recounted the story of how Capt. Woodlief obeyed orders with the ship to pray upon arrival and then remember that day annually with "a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God."

White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore insisted that Mr. Bush's speech was "not an endorsement of one historical site over the other."

But Mr. Bush, speaking on the banks of the James River in front of a ship similar to the one that bore the original settlers, did not sound like an impartial observer.

"The good folks here say that the founders of Berkeley held their celebration before the Pilgrims had even left port," Mr. Bush said, to applause. "As you can imagine, this version of events is not very popular up north."

Mr. Bush, who has never traveled to Plymouth to commemorate Thanksgiving, then said that even President Kennedy, "a son of Massachusetts," had recognized Berkeley.

"And so this afternoon, I've come to honor Berkeley's history, and to continue the great American tradition of giving thanks," Mr. Bush said.

Mr. Kennedy's younger brother, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, did not respond to a request for comment.

But a spokesman for Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, said he was willing to overlook Mr. Bush's offense.

"Massachusetts forgives President Bush because he's probably in for a rough week — tomorrow he pardons the White House turkey, and there's always the risk that Dick Cheney will promptly shoot it," said Kerry spokesman David Wade.

The staff of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, were busy doing real work, a spokeswoman said, and declined to comment.

But Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine was "pleased that the president is visiting Berkeley and recognizing it as the site of the first Thanksgiving," a spokesman said.
Mr. Kaine, a Democrat who was invited to the president's speech by the White House, was excited about the president's recognition of his state, but he declined to attend. Instead, he sent his Republican lieutenant governor and attorney general.

Meanwhile, the caretakers of the Plymouth story, at the Plimoth Plantation, were amused by all the fuss. They said the Pilgrims don't have any historical connection to Thanksgiving, and neither do the Berkeley settlers.

Plimoth Plantation spokeswoman Jennifer Monac provided a fact sheet arguing that since President Lincoln declared the first Thanksgiving Day in 1863, the Thanksgiving Americans now celebrate is largely a creation of the Victorian era.

"In the 1620s, a Thanksgiving was a religious day of fasting," the fact sheet read.

Despite his strong show of support for the Berkeley story yesterday, Mr. Bush has not thrown all of his weight behind Berkeley Plantation in the debate over who is most responsible for Thanksgiving.

The White House has withstood a petition drive by Lisa Suhay, a Norfolk children's author who is requesting that Mr. Bush pardon a pig this Thanksgiving instead of a turkey.

Ms. Suhay argues that a pig is more likely to have been on the Thanksgiving menu at Berkeley Plantation than a turkey, which is associated with the Pilgrims and Plymouth, Mass.

Nonetheless, Mr. Bush will go forward with the traditional turkey pardon this morning, a custom thought to have originated with President Truman.

The turkey, as has been the custom since 2005, will then be flown first class, the White House said, to Disney World, where it will star as the marshal of the Thanksgiving Day parade.

This was still bad news for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who said yesterday that Disney World does not provide proper care for the turkeys.

"Almost all of the turkeys who have received Thanksgiving pardons from the president in recent years have died within a year," a PETA spokeswoman said.

PETA pronounced the turkey's trip to Disney World "a death sentence."

• This article is based in part on wire service reports.