I like it.

That Keith Ellison chose a Qur’an once owned by Thomas Jefferson for his ceremonial swearing in.

Grant it, Jefferson had a deist’s skepticism of Islamic dogma. And he did wage America’s first undeclared preemptive war against Muslim Barbary pirates. And I can’t speak to Ellison’s motives.

Nonetheless, I like the choice of Jefferson’s Qur’an as a third alternative to the Qur’an/Bible much ado about little arguments; it preserves Ellison’s desire to honor his religious faith and still acknowledges (albeit in a different way) American tradition. It’s the opportunity for conciliation I thought Ellison missed by not using a Bible, but his solution is, I think, more elegant and no less respectful. I’m glad to see he understands tradition, even in the face of inevitable change, is important.