The similarities between the two artist mentioned is quite obvious, too me anyway. Haven't you guys heard Springsteen's rendition of Tom Wait's "Jersey Girl"? Beside the strong vocal comparison theres alot to be said for a shared mutual respect they seem to share. Listen to Rain Dogs and if you don't hear the Springsteen influences in the some of the electric guitar songs then your not really listening.
There are numerous great covers of Waits' songs (tops on my list would be Holly Cole's Temptation and John Hammond's Wicked Grin). I have heard Springsteen's Jersey Girl and it didn't strike me that the vocals were similar, though I certainly enjoyed it - great tune! Tom's voice has the gravely rough edges of too much whiskey and cigarettes at an early age. Springsteen is far smoother in comparison. I haven't listened to enough Springsteen to comment on the influences in the electric guitar you mention, or in any strong similarities that I picked up on. Yes, they are both story tellers , and they both seem to be telling stories about American characters (so I see your point there), but I feel Waits characters to be worlds away from Springsteen's. Waits is telling stories about folks in the darkest corners of the places most of us would prefer to avoid. He uses a vocabulary that is entirely foreign to Springsteen's lyrics and the musical tapestry he orchestrates his songs with are as complex and as rich as the tales he spins, drawing from perhaps upon more esoteric and diverse influences than I've ever heard from Springsteen. Springsteen's lyrics strike me as being more ballads for the common man, draped in an American flag and hinting at that glimmer of hope amidst the darkness of struggle, opression and despair. With Waits there is more often only darkness, depravity, as the down-and-out continue their downward spiral, or delight in their twisted ways. There is no hope, no American flags being proudly waved, no happy endings or dreams fulfilled. Just read the lyrics for any song on Rain Dogs which you enjoyed, and show me a Springsteen story that resembles any of them. If there is one I need to listen to more Springsteen (and again, I admit, I have not heard much - I may have owned three albums of his at one time or another and he never caught on).