President Bush’s popularity ratings have plummeted, but why, asks Justin Webb, is it that the opposition, the Democrats, are not surfing the opinion polls, capitalising on the Republicans’ misfortunes and preparing to take over Congress when the election comes in the autumn? In any list of America’s greatest contributions to world culture – the kazoo, the electric guitar, drive-in fast food etc – space should be found, in my view, for an invention deeply ingrained in the life of this nation. An invention on show to almost all Americans, every day. That invention is the car bumper sticker. And, in case you think you have seen them elsewhere in the world, let me just tell you that you have not. At least not on the scale, and not of the sophistication of the American model. Bumper stickers are a treasure trove of American free speech, expressing opinions of every stripe, on every subject. Political message Some are just plain weird. A perfectly normal looking Chrysler in front of me the other day had “cops smell funny” emblazoned on the boot. The stickers which have caught my attention and which I […]