Three prominent Britons hit the campaign trail

Shrub has now officially made such a - I believe the term is "dog's breakfast" - of our reputation in the world that the Guardian has taken up the mission of rescuing us from ourselves.

Titled Operation Clark County, they have set up a web page where Britons can get the name of a US voter from Clark County, Ohio, and write them a letter explaining why they should, for the good of the entire world, vote George Bush out of office.

The result of the American election in less than three weeks could have huge consequences for the whole world. Yet those of us outside the 50 states have had no say in it. Until now, that is.

In the spirit of the Declaration of Independence's pledge to show "a decent respect to the opinions of mankind", we have come up with a unique way for non-Americans to express your views on the policies and candidates in this election to some of the people best placed to decide its outcome. It's not quite a vote, but it's a chance to influence how a very important vote will be cast. Or, at the very least, make a new penpal.

On this page you can read initial offerings from such luminaries as John Le Carré, Antonia Fraser, and novelist Richard Dawkins. Dawkins says, in part, this:

As the bumper stickers put it, "Re-defeat Bush". But, this time, do it so overwhelmingly that neither his brother's friends in Florida nor his father's friends on the Supreme Court will be able to rig the count. Decent Americans - there are absolutely more intelligent, educated, civilised, cultivated, compassionate people in America than in any other country in the western world - please show your electoral muscle this time around. We in the rest of the world, who sadly cannot vote in the one election that really affects our future, are depending on you. Please don't let us down.