Turkeys Cobbler and Gobbler await presidential pardons

A pair of pretty lucky poultry is gobbling up the attention of the press (sorry, couldn’t resist) as they get their first taste of Washington ahead of Wednesday’s official pardoning at the White House.

Reporters got a sneak peek at the 19-week-old, Virginia-bred male turkeys, Cobbler and Gobbler, on Tuesday before their big visit to President Obama’s abode, as they strutted their stuff at the W Hotel in downtown D.C.

The two birds — who hammed it up and gobbled as cameras captured their every move — have been living it up since arriving in the District, feasting on an organic mix of acorns, berries and corn while shacking up in a custom suite at the luxury hotel.

“We’ve done everything that we can to ensure that they’ve had a very comfortable visit in Washington, D.C., prior to meeting the president,” said W Hotel General Manager Ed Baten. “They’ve enjoyed being his neighbors for the last couple of days, since we’re the closest hotel to the White House.”

The manager says because the space is pet-friendly, the animals aren’t the first non-human out-of-towners to stay there. “We often have feathered guests,” Betan laughed, before adding that most of them are usually “a little smaller” than the 45-pound gobblers.

The rhyming names, Gobbler and Cobbler (Cobbler’s a little bigger than his fellow bird buddy), were chosen by the White House from a list of possible monikers submitted by elementary school students.

For the first time, the public can vote on the White House Facebook page on which turkey they’d like to get the official pardon.

But don’t fret, both of the feathered creatures will avoid landing on a Thanksgiving Day dinner table — after Wednesday’s pardoning ceremony, they’ll be heading to George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate for a lifetime of spreading their wings on presidential grounds.

Photo: Daniel Swartz for W Washington, D.C.

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