Atheist Politicians?

One difference between America and other countries is that America was founded, in part, as a religious nation.  Just as many settlers came here for economic opportunities, there were many settlers who came here to establish religious societies.  And whatever the extent of their success or failure it is still largely assumed by a significant part of the population that the United States has a particular religious standing, irrespective of the First Amendment.  Politicians — even the deist sort — have played that note heavily, usually to promote their own agenda.  Whether it was Abraham Lincoln working to end slavery or George W. Bush trying to incite us to smite the Muslim terrorists, they knew that a religious appeal would be effective in getting the public to accept a difficult premise.  And The Religious can be trusted to rush blindly into whatever situation presents itself, even into risking their own lives.  After all, the promise of a future life in Heaven is a strong incentive to patriotism.  At the same time, it is worth noting that George W. Bush has managed to create the persona of a good “born again” Christian leader and maintains that image, in spite of the fact that he is responsible for the deaths of many thousands of innocent Americans and Iraqis.

Today there are a number of strong associations between politics and religion.  In several states it is necessary to be a Roman Catholic to get elected to office.  In other states it is important to be a Evangelical, or perhaps even a Mormon.  Atheists rarely get elected to high office, and when they do — as, for example, when Jesse Ventura became governor of Minnesota — it is loudly noted by the media.  The idea that The Religious are better leaders or more ethical is a fantasy that is often sold to the public, and they almost always bite.