Would you vote for a ... as President?

A USA Today/Gallup poll released last week provides some interesting numbers as to how the U.S. electorate would react to "non-traditional candidates" for President of the United States. Much of it doesn't really surprise me.

By and large, I don't expect that most U.S. citizens are opposed to the principle of electing a woman or an African American as President. However, it's fairly obvious that in the context of the 2008 election, the female and African American candidates are Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, respectively. Given the current political climate, I am fairly certain that neither candidate would receive the support this poll seems to indicate they would in the Democratic primaries, let alone the general election; I would be interested to know why that didn't affect the outcome of this poll.

The numbers for a homosexual and an atheist candidate are a little surprising to me, though. First, a majority of Americans (55% vs. 43%) seem to be willing to elect a (presumably open) homosexual candidate. This confirms my belief that the current controversy regarding gay marriage is being driven by the few who are shouting the loudest; however, most Americans don't seem to be buying the argument that two gay men getting married is a "threat" to "the institution of marriage". All in all, a positive sign.

What is less positive is that a majority of Americans (53% vs. 45%) would not vote for an atheist as President, even that candidate was "generally qualified". The poll didn't delve into why this is the case, but I suspect that it has something to do with people believing that "atheist" implies either amoral or immoral. I find this somewhat sad and confusing. I really don't understand why people think that belief in some deity is a necessary precondition for being a moral person. I don't understand (and frankly am terrified of) people who say that the only reason we don't steal, rape, and kill is because God tells us not to. At some point, we must learn to say that we don't steal, rape, and kill because it is just plain wrong, even if some god or gods tell us otherwise. So, if two people adhere to the same moral and ethical standards, why should the believer be anymore deserving of the Presidency than the atheist?