Another Obama First
The inauguration of our 44th president contained a litany of firsts. Too many to list here. Besides the gaggle of gasbags in the popular media and the Internets have done an exemplary job of listing virtually all of them.There is one first sandwiched between Rick Warren's curious invocation and Rev. Lowery's remarkable benediction that drew scant attention. President Obama became the first president in our history to acknowledge atheist Americans:
"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers."Contrast that quote with this assertion by Bush 41 some twenty years ago:
"I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots."Unlike his recent predecessors - Bush 41 & 43, Candidate Obama promised inclusiveness as well as greater transparency in his administration. It appears that he means to implement that promise from day one.
More here. And more here.