How could this seem OK to any American?

This incident with Charlie Crist, Republican governor of Florida, currently campaigning for a U.S. Senate seat, is making the rounds in the atheist community:

Last night as I was leaving a pizzeria in Downtown St. Pete, I ran into a small group of people around Florida Governor Charlie Crist who was campaigning for a US Senate run. So, I walked over waited a moment to gain his attention and shook his hand. As we were shaking hands I asked him if he really believes that the letters he sent to Jerusalem prevent hurricanes from hitting Florida.

His smile immediately dropped and he replied "Who's more powerful than God." That wasn't really an answer so asked him again to which I got a similar reply. While this was happening one of his people put a "Charlie Crist for US Senate 2010" sticker on me. Then when I told Charlie that I did not believe in God he turned beat [sic] red and ripped the sticker off of my chest. He did a 180 to start shaking other peoples hands, and turned to scream over his shoulder that he feels sorry for me.

Imagine the uproar if this has had happened to a Jew or a Mormon. It would be the major news story everywhere in the country. But because this guy is an atheist, it's no big deal. In fact, if it gets any publicity at all, it will almost certainly help Crist in his campaign for the nomination, since he's having a tough fight convincing Republicans that he's loony enough.

This is the sort of thing that got me, after a lifetime of disbelief, to become outspoken about my atheism. I never used to think it was anyone else's business,... and I still don't. But hearing the President of the United States, George W. Bush, claim that atheists couldn't be considered patriots or even citizens, watching my country, which pioneered the separation of church and state, decide we were fighting for Christ, and you were either "with us or with the enemy,"... well, I had to take a public stand.

We are in a war, but it's a war between people who want to cram their own religious beliefs down everyone else's throat and people who believe in the fundamental principles of America, including Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, and the strict separation of church and state. This has been the basic conservative vs liberal issue for centuries, and it still is. Note that there are plenty of believers on my side in this war, and I'm very glad to have them as allies,... provided they'll accept me as an American citizen, as a patriot, and as a human being with the same rights they cherish themselves.