Sixty years have passed since Lyndon Johnson called his cabinet together and groused at them for not passing Lady Bird’s Beautification Act. There are 342 million people in the United States and as you drive you constantly wonder where everybody is. And anyhow, the film version of No Country for Old Men may have hastened the death knell for the appeal of the roadside motel. America is always rushing towards tomorrow while gaping back in amazement at its epic past. The further west you drive, the further away from the White House, the more distant and unreal Donald Trump becomes.

Source: The Irish Times February 28, 2026 09:01 UTC