MSNBC "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann designated Ill. Rep. Monique Davis (D- Chicago) as Tuesday's "Worst Person in The World" for her verbal attack last week on atheist activist Rob Sherman:

Davis owes the witness and everybody in this country who believes in freedom of religion an apology. And if she can’t figure that out, she should resign and take her prejudice with her. But she also needs to improve her own education. That phrase, “This is the land of Lincoln where people believe in God.” Ms. Davis said that in Springfield where, when Lincoln first ran for Congress in 1846, the future great president was accused by his opponent of being an atheist. You not only spat on the fundamental American freedom to embrace religion, a religion or no religion, Assemblywomen Davis, but you also made a damn fool out of yourself in the process.

Meanwhile, Sherman, who is running for the state house in the northwest suburbs on the Green Party ticket, has written a letter to Rep. Jack Franks (D- Woodstock), requesting that Davis be formally censured for attempting to order Sherman out of the witness chair as Sherman testified before the House State Government Administration Committee, which Franks heads.

Her grounds: "It’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!"

UPDATE --- At his Web site, Sherman is reporting (and I have not confirmed since Davis has not returned several phone calls from me) that he has accepted an apology that Davis offered to him over the phone:

Davis said that she had been upset, earlier in the day, to learn that a twenty-second and twenty-third Chicago Public School student this school year had been shot to death that morning. She said that it was wrong for her to take out her anger, frustrations and emotions on me, and that she apologized to me. I told her that her explanation was reasonable and that I forgave her.....she thanked me for forgiving her .....

Audio of Davis v. Sherman courtesy of the Illinois Information Service.

Was Lincoln a believer in God? Was he a Christian?

Scott Reeder of the Small Newspaper group: "Illinois politicians have a long history of being tolerant of crooks, adulterers and liars -- as long as they believe in God."

Rich Miller on Capitol Fax: "One of the reasons this has gone mostly unreported locally is that strange statements are often the norm at the Statehouse."

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