The briefs in support of Michael Newdow’s "crusade" against the Pledge of Allegience are in; several are posted on Tom Goldstein’s blog. Not surprisingly, the brief filed by the Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the ACLU object precisely because the reference to "under God" follows a tradition in this Country "of humbly seeking the wisdom and protection of Divine Providence." Of course, the invocation of the protection of Divine Providence comes directly from the Declaration of Independence. As Pontius Pilot once remarked, what more need have we of witnesses. The ACLU’s attack is aimed at nothing less than our founding charter and the principles upon which our nation is based.
Matthew (Mt 26:65) and Mark (Mk 14:63) have the Jewish high priest saying "What more need have we of witnesses?", not Pilate.
Many thanks for the correction. I should have said "As the high priest once noted ..." But the main point remains. The ACLU has now formally and expressly done what it has been impliedly doing for a long time--challenge the legitimacy of the Declaration of Independence and the "self-evident truths" described in that document.