Can an atheist be president?

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, unless you're an overt racist, the selection of our first black president was a positive sign of cultural progress for our country. Many believe this progress will continue in our next presidential election with the selection of our first female president. Perhaps your politics prevent you from viewing either of these events as positive? Perhaps you view them as quite negative. Either way, I don't care. Rather, what interests me more than left vs right, is believer vs the non-believer. Will American ever elect someone who is openly non-religious? When you think about it, America was founded on the freedom of religion. That would include the lack thereof. Could you vote for someone who shared many of your political views if he or she did not believe in God? What if they believed in lower taxes, less regulation, more energy production, and were against abortion? Could you vote for them then? My guess is most southerners would not vote for this candidate. My guess is most Americans wouldn't vote for this candidate. But is that right? What role does religion play in politics? Could being an atheist be a positive attribute for a president? I doubt I'll ever live to find out.