Batman stopped having the yellow behind the plate when he bounced back from the Knightfall storyline.
Robin (Dick Grayson) wore his family's circus costume.
Doesn't have to be. There are advantages that can be applied to the shape shift ability that will change that. Which is why I said earlier, it all depends on how both powers are defined.
And let's leave presidents out of this. No need to bring in politics.
Rifts generally sucks because most of their books seems to be reprinting parts, in whole, of other books in the line. How many times do I need the rules for X that they appear in 20 different books?