Republican + christian = intolerant?

Rep. Virgil Goode (R, Virginia) caused a lot of controversy by stating in a letter to his constituents that Muslims have no business holding elective office in the United States. He was obviously taking issue with Rep. Keith Ellison's (D, Minnesota) election to the House or perhaps his choice to use the Quran in his swearing in ceremony today. Goode went quite a bit further by saying "I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America." Ouch, Virgil. Can you clarify that to make it sound less bigoted? Read the bill of rights lately? He states in the same letter that he has the Ten Commandments hanging in his office.

Dennis Prager, a Townhall columnist, seems to have stirred up the pot even more by stating:
"He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization. ... What Ellison and his Muslim and leftist supporters are saying is that it is of no consequence what America holds as its holiest book; all that matters is what any individual holds to be his holiest book."

Ummmm, Dennis, you are insane if you think I would actually believe "the act undermines American civilization" or that America holds the bible as its holiest book. I am atheist and American and you are undermining the tenants of American government that I hold most dear, namely, the separation of church and state and the first clause of the first amendment of the constitution.

Excuse me, but can someone explain to me why the controversy over what book he uses for this swearing in ceremony? I am perfectly happy to ban the use of the Quran if we also ban the use of the bible for the swearing in ceremony. Fairs, fair.