This issue serves as a brief respite between major storylines, an intermission that revisits something that happened during the Skrull/Capmania episode that Mark Waid and company knew couldn’t be forgotten, while also injecting some welcome levity, following the (literal) nightmare scenario of the last several issues and the red storm to come.
The loose thread from issue #6, when a Skrull captured and impersonated Cap, is highlighted by the front page of the Daily Bugle shown below…
…as well as by Steve and Sharon’s reactions.
Next, Steve gets an opinion from a man on the street who trusts Cap, which is exactly what Steve is worried about: people taking his word instead of forming their own opinions (which will come to a head during the recent Secret Empire episode). This applies double to political issues on which he tries to stay neutral so he can stand for all Americans, unless it involves denying the essential American ideals of liberty, justice, and equality—or suggesting that Sharon is his girlfriend.
Steve lays out his own issues with Sharon (who is not his girlfriend), explaining the responsibility he feels for what the Skrull did in his name, his sincere admiration for Bolt, and his disdain for his opponent Oxnard.
Steve pushes back on Sharon’s cynicism about both Bolt and Oxnard, saying they’re both good public servants with different views, but then wonders if he should take a explicit political stance when he feels that one candidate is better for the people, even if the other one is not corrupt, evil, or a supervillain.
Steve greets the Ramirezes and assures them that, despite Luis’s discomfort with relying on his generosity, there’s no hurry to leave his apartment—and Sharon takes her turn refuting what seems to be a very common misconception.
By his reaction, you’d think Steve caught young Javier smoking pot, not boning up the law (which Steve also noticed in issue #10).
Before he heads to talk to Bolt, Steve assigns Sharon (not his girlfriend) the task of investigating the budding barrister—and pulls the “you shot me” card when she objects.
“You’ll believe a man can fly.”
When Cap connects with Bolt, he learns that Oxnard actually may be corrupt, which gives him something to look into, although he’s still cautious (which Bolt understands).
After Cap finds Oxnard and a “Mr. Reynolds” at dinner discussing a perfectly legitimate campaign contribution, he follows the latter home, revealing he knows the man’s true identity and affiliation (although the fat-shaming was beneath him).
Rilker abandons the innocent act when he activates a killer robot to attack Cap, who’s embarrassed to be caught unawares.
After Rilker brags about the hefty bonus he’ll get for delivering Cap’s head to his superiors, Cap shows off a new trick he can do with his energy shield (thanks to Sharon, who is not… you know).
Just when he starts to think the new shield might take the place of his missing best friend, it malfunctions, causing Cap to mourn his loss before catching himself…
…which is the worst time to check in on Jim Rhodes and his search for the Holy Grail.
You can say that again, pal! (“Can we say Tony did it? Cap is sure to believe that.”)
Meanwhile, Cap disables the robot and uses one of its arms to wrestle a confession out of Rilker that confirms Oxnard’s corruption (and his efforts to cover it up).
That’s… really not the point, but whatever.
Cap reports his discovery to Bolt, who pours cold water on it and opens Cap’s eyes to a political world in which perceptions and partisan loyalty mean more than facts and responsibility—a world Cap cannot let himself get dragged into.
In his frustration, Cap realizes that now, more than ever, he has to stay above partisan politics, as strongly as he may feel about an issue, if he wants his hands and name to stay “clean.”
Soon, Oxnard finds Cap in his office, posing next to the flag (reminiscent of Daredevil #223 and Marvel Fanfare #18), which usually means some words are going to be had. Cap explains that he knows what Oxnard has done, although he doesn’t consider it serious enough to intervene. Then he launches into a legitimate and owed shaming…
…specifically for abusing his name, his office, and the trust of his constituents. He compares this to the honor and integrity Bolt has shown, and asks Oxnard what he sees when he looks in the mirror.
Unfortunately, Cap is not surprised by the answer—he is, after all, well aware of the necessity of compromise in politics, but there is a difference between compromising a principle or goal for an even more important one, and doing so for the purpose of expediency, ambition, or naked self-interest.
He does find a way to make an impact politically, not as Captain America, but his other superhero identity: Mr. Handsome.
Waiting outside, not at all conspicuous, his girlfriend Sharon updates him on Oxnard, who has taken the first step back from the precipice of irredeemability.
OMG JAVIER IS THE RED SKULL??? Come back for the next post to find out.
ISSUE DETAILS
Captain America (vol. 3) #13, January 1999: Mark Waid (writer), Doug Braithwaite (pencils), Robin Riggs (inks), Shannon Blanchard and Kevin Tinsley (colors), Todd Klein (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Captain America: Heroes Return–The Complete Collection Vol. 2.
PREVIOUS ISSUES: Captain America #11-12 (November-December 1998)
ALSO THIS MONTH: Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #5, Deadpool #24, Avengers #12 and Amazing Spider-Man #1, and Avengers Forever #2 (January 1999)
NEXT ISSUES: Captain America #14-16 (February-April 1999)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
This is one of my favorite Waid Captain America stories. Like so many great Cap stories, it involves him wrestling with a real-life, contemporary moral dilemma. It also has shades of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”
I like the solution that, while Cap must remain above politics, Steve can get involved and try to improve things. This is a powerful argument for Cap to have a secret identity.
While “Man Without a Country” ‘s depiction of unfrozen Cap’s relationship to the government contradicted decades of previous stories, here Waid get’s Steve’s politics spot-on. Good stuff.
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