Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has issued her traditional Thanksgiving "pardon" for one turkey - while other birds were slaughtered in the background.

The former Republican vice-presidential candidate was doing her governor's "duty" to save one lucky bird at a farm in Wasilla. But in the video footage of Mrs Palin, a man can be seen butchering birds in the background.

Mrs Palin did not comment on the slaughter taking place.  "This was neat," she told reporters, referring to her "pardon" of a turkey. "I was happy to get to be invited to participate in this. For one, you need a little bit of levity in this job... It's nice to get out and... participate in something that isn't so heavy-handed politics that it invites criticism."

It is a Thanksgiving custom in America for the president and other officials to officially pardon a turkey. The majority of the birds are not so lucky, however - the turkey is the traditional centrepiece of Americans' Thanksgiving dinner.

Mrs Palin was little known outside Alaska when Republican presidential candidate John McCain picked her as his running-mate this year. Since losing the election in November, she has made a number of prominent media appearances, and observers suggest she is considering a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

She is, indeed, a "pole turtle".

Not so much a pardon more a breach jam...

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