Why is it that Americans have never elected an ordained minister, priest or rabbi as President? After all, the Founders were steeped in what has been called the "civil religion" of America.   Every time when our survival was at stake, from the War of 1812 to the attack on 9/11, the president in office appealed to the common elements of religious faith -- without excluding those who profess no faith. It's called religious tolerance, and it is a precious rarity in human history. When Mike Huckabee dropped his "innocent" slam at Mormons to a NY Times reporter last month, he violated that tacit understanding in American politics. "Don't Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?" he asked, knowing full well it would make headlines.    It was a bigoted slap at Mitt Romney, and we now know that Huck carried the Bible Belt anyway. Slamming Mormons might have helped him get votes, and in any case, it didn't hurt him. But it's...(Read Full Post)