John Mace, a life-long atheist, didn’t perceive things that way. This agnostic finds the claim unexceptional though. (Which demonstrates my blind-spot point: I had at first forgotten about atheism.)
Summary
John Mace and I had a long discussion in FQ about whether an alleged quote by Bush the Elder about atheists was accurate.
One online discussion:
George H.W. Bush and the Atheists - SourceWatch
Mace essentially thought the reporter was lying or misremembering IIRC. I didn’t find the alleged quote extraordinary: “No, I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.”
And here’s the 2005 thread. Twenty years old!
George H W Bush and atheists - #41 by Measure_for_Measure