I don't know about that. For example, Bill Clinton (to use a democrat so you can't accuse this of being partisan) has never used his father as a testament to anything since it was well known his father was an abusive drunk.
Kennedy, however, still lives in that arrogant fantasy world where his father was a great man who didn't bootleg, beat his wife, lobotomize his daughter (for wanting to marry a jew, as I recall), etc.
