In the case of neutralizing “W.,” Republican operatives should go out and destroy the reputations of some of the film’s key participants.

Attacking Mr. Stone would be a mistake. That would be so 1996. The 62-year-old Mr. Stone is already known as a Castro-loving conspiracy theorist who cultivates a reputation as a renowned deviant, even by Hollywood standards. So nothing reported about him could sully his name or “W.” In fact, he wants to be attacked, the better to play the martyr.

Instead, Mr. Brolin, who defiles Mr. Bush every which way, should be the prime target for the Republican “truth squad.”