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In today's United States, it's possible for almost anyone \ufffd women, gays, African-Americans, Jews \ufffd to run for, and be elected to, high office. But a professed atheist wouldn't stand a popcorn's chance in Hell.
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An atheist cannot be elected because the majority woun't vote for him/her. The only way around that problem is to install an "enlightened" dictatorship.

Well, we all know how well the dictatorships work in Midle East. Saddam's regime was thoroughly secular almost to the end (near the end, he adopted some religious rethorics - any port in a storm). It takes a dictator of the most brutal sort to keep religion out of politics in a religious country.