By Lee Pfeiffer
In today's politically-charged environment, both liberals and conservatives are protesting when dramatic license is taken to depict the iconic figures of their parties. The latest case is the History Channel backing out of plans to air an ambitious 8-part dramatic series about the life of President John F. Kennedy. The big budget project, The Kennedys, caused outrage among Kennedy supporters who claim the former President was being sensationalized through sexually-charged sequences that were not accurate. Scholars also debunked aspects of the script that were clearly wrong from a historical perspective (one sequence actually suggests that it was JFK's idea to build the Berlin Wall!) The project has predictably taken on partisan overtones largely because the series' producer is Joel Surnow, the conservative producer of the hit action TV series 24. That show has long outraged liberal critics who contend it condones the use of torture and other constitutionally questionable forms of behavior on the part of military and law enforcement authorities. Leading the charge is liberal activist and documentary filmmaker Robert Greenwald who says the show sensationalizes Kennedy's sexual appetites. In one sequence, Robert F. Kennedy observes his brother having sex with a woman in the White House pool. JFK mentions says that if he doesn't have sex with unfamiliar women every few days, he gets migraines. Kennedy's prowess with women has been the stuff of speculation for decades but some historians say much of what is in the series is distorted. JFK's former speechwriter Ted Sorensen, who recently passed away, also publicly protested aspects of the script that he said were completely inaccurate.