Salon tries to convince itself that it can like Captain America

Whose side would he be on. America's. He stands for the ideals of America, what we aspire to be and do. [Link]

In the early morning hours of Oct. 30, 2010, a guy in a Captain America suit staked out a spot on the National Mall as he waited for Jon Stewart's left-leaning Rally to Restore Sanity. "Hey, Steve Rogers," I called out the name of Captain America's secret identity. He turned around, flashed a big grin at my geekiness and then snapped a salute as I took his picture.

A few months later, in April 2011, a different man wearing a Captain America costume stood on the National Mall. Like the Cap from October, he was there for a rally, only 2011's Cap was a Tea Party patriotclamoring for a government shutdown while holding up a sign that read: "Shut it down/Save America."

After the July 22 release of the summer blockbuster "Captain America: the First Avenger," we'll probably see even more Captain Americas waving placards at protests for all parts of the political spectrum. The Red, White and Blue Avenger is and always has been a potent political image, but whose side would Captain America be on? Would he be a New Deal Democrat slinging his mighty shield for new public works programs or would he be rallying with the Tea Party to lower taxes on billionaires and gut Medicare? Whose Captain America is he anyway?

Captain America is not a jingoistic mascot. He stands for what we believe America can and should be.