Oh, it is (probably my lame joke was in poor taste). And then America repaid the French by buying the entire Louisiana purchase from them at about 1/50th what it was worth. Because we are incapable of gratitude.

Honestly, I think the Ultimate!Cap comment about the French may be as much a function of Mark Millar being British as anything else -- since the British have raised bashing the French to an art form (and have about 1,000 years worth of practice).