WASHINGTON - - - President Barack Obama has been celebrating Thanksgiving quietly at the White House.

He phoned 10 members of the U.S. armed services in Afghanistan. The White House says Obama thanked them "for their service and sacrifice and wished them and their families a happy Thanksgiving."

The president, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Sasha and Malia, will be joined for dinner by friends and White House staff members.

The Thanksgiving dinner menu includes ham, oyster stuffing and macaroni and cheese along with the traditional turkey, sweet potatoes and green bean casserole. For those with a sweet tooth, half a dozen kinds of pie, including huckleberry, have been prepared.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama said Thanksgiving offers Americans a chance to put a "passionate, noisy" campaign season into perspective and come together as a nation.

In the Republican Party address, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state said the GOP is ready to work with Obama to avert impending tax increases, big spending cuts and other problems at year's end.