"Unclear On The Concept" Department...
Alan Alda to play Republican on West Wing.
There's nothing funnier or, in some cases, pathetic, than a leftist pretending to be a Republican. Talk show call-ins are a big item in this department. The closest analogy I can think of is Gene Wilder trying to do "black" in the movie "Silver Streak."
On the other hand, Alda is no slouch as an actor, so who knows? Michael Keaton carried off "Batman" pretty well. It's probably in the writer's lap anyway.