I read the article a couple days ago on BBC. Needless to say, pardons for turkeys, among other many other events, are just theater. It's not going to fix our world's problems, nor does it fulfill a functional request by a citizen, nor is it even a natural or spontaneous act that reflects the particular politican's personality.
The fact that there are other birds being butchered in the background exposes the act for the farce it is. It's not about Palin (there are plenty of substantial criticisms to hit her with) -- this is what you get from any politician that pretty much sticks to the script.