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Opinion: Which superheroes would John McCain and Barack Obama be?

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Political -- and Batman -- junkies probably already know about Sen. Patrick Leahy‘s little infatuation with Bruce Wayne’s alter ego, Batman. He loves the character, and all those colorful evil incarnates, like the Riddler, the Penguin and the Joker. Leahy has even talked his way into cameo roles in Batman movies, and in ‘The Dark Knight,’ which opens July 18, Leahy gets himself roughed up by the Joker’s goons. Bam! Pow! Ooof!

So strong is the Democratic Vermont senator’s infatuation that he wrote the introduction for a 1992 book collecting some of the Batman comics, ‘The Dark Knight Archive,’ and has done voice-overs for childrens’ Batman cartoons. And on July 12, Leahy will play host to a special premiere of ‘The Dark Knight’ in that hot spot of Hollywood’s elite, Montpelier, Vt. The proceeds will go to a local library that has named a wing after him. Leahy, that is, not Batman.

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So as we head into the long Fourth of July weekend (that phrase is a journalism cue that it’s a slow news day, at least at the moment), we wonder what other politicians might harbor secret infatuations with fictional crusaders, caped and otherwise? Or even better, what superhero might actually dwell beneath those dark (pant)suits?

Maybe John McCain in his, shall we say, crankier moments, as The Hulk? Barack Obama channeling The Flash? Hillary Clinton as Wonder Woman -- the first major female superhero? John Edwards as Batman’s sidekick, Robin?

And they don’t have to be the heroes. Go ahead and link politicians up with your favorite bad guys, too.

Can’t wait to see what you all come up with for Ralph Nader and Dick Cheney.

-- Scott Martelle

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