Be that as it may, the Kennedy children were born into wealth and privilege and had access to the best education and opportunities. But the Kennedy siblings were also born to extremely ambitious parents who had high expectations of their children from the start. Joseph Kennedy loathed the fact that his shady business dealings had tarnished the Kennedy name and he sought to whitewash the past by immersing himself in public service, using his connections to obtain a number of prestigious Government appointments. It was his dearest wish that his two older sons, Joe and John, would become high ranking Government officials themselves, and maybe even ascend to the Senate or the office of the President of the United States. Several sources have since pointed out that this desire may not only have been on account of his need to whitewash the Kennedy legacy; equally attractive may have been the opportunity to reap the benefits of having his sons in positions of great power and influence!