host, in the greater scheme of things, I think that any Clinton improprieties would be much more relevant than anything that Joe Kennedy did or didn't do as would any crimes committed by McCain's father-in-law. That's because the crimes would have been committed by the candidates (to lump them together) themselves, not by a family member. Did Jimmy Carter fashion himself a brewer? No, that was his ignomious brother Billy.
All I did with Joe Kennedy was look to see if anyone substantiated the bootlegging rumors that were out there for years. All the hearsay evidence I've ever seen stated it as a rumor, and I looked for anything to the contrary. That's what I found in my 5 minute search. And it was more than a 1 sentence reference - it had a LINK!
These are meant to be examples. I don't think that any argument about Joe Kennedy or McCain's FIL really hold that much water. The Clintons are different since they're the actual officeholders, but the other two are just about relatives. And I think that we can agree, host, that all families are fucked up on some level. I know mine is.