Losing the US brand

This item on how the world views American brand (from the Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire blog):

BRAND CRISIS? A Johannesburg billboard touting DaimlerChrysler’s new Smart car mocks U.S. side of company: “German engineering, Swiss innovation, American nothing,” it read. A Washington official of the automaker says the billboard was put up by DaimlerChrysler South Africa, and taken down after parent company executives learned of it.

So much for the US's great lead in innovation.

On that positive note - have a great Labor Day.