Palm Beach Post Columnist Defends Political Smear Story About Parents of Giffords' Doctor by Claiming It Wasn't Political

January 20th, 2011 8:57 PM

Palm Beach Post columnist Jose Lambiet (photo) is so desperate to defend the indefensible that he is now basically telling his readers that what they saw they didn't see. In this case, Lambiet is claiming that his column wasn't political even though that is exactly what it was from playing the class resentment card against the parents of  neurosurgeon Michael Lemole who treated Represenstative Gabrielle Giffords  by revealing the value of their homes to snarking about how they contributed to Tea Party candidates.

Here is Lambiet now protesting that his politically charged column wasn't political:

There was no political point to Monday’s Page2Live story about the parents of Dr. Michael Lemole, one of the neurosurgeons in Tucson who brought back U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords from the brink of death.

Not political? No way, Jose! Here are your very own words from that column:.

According to campaign filings, Lemole’s parents have showered with thousands in contributions — $15,700 in 2010 alone — Tea Party candidates vying for national offices.

...Nutty U.S. senator wannabe O’Donnell, for example, received $4,000 from Gerald and Emily Lemole last year.

...And then, there was a $1,000-contribution to another Delaware Tea Partier, Glen Urquhart.

...Michael Lemole, by the way, last year gave $1,000 to a political action committee that contributes only to Republicans.

Ironically, in "defending" himself against the charge that his previous column was political, the highly mendacious Palm Beach Post columnist engaged in yet another political smear against the parents of Michael Lemole:

The paperwork — freely available to anyone in the world — showed that, in addition to mainstream, respected politicians, Gerald and Emily supported some who peppered this country’s political process with an extra dose of vitriolic rhetoric.

As for the readers who dared to post criticisms of his smears, sleazemonger Lambiet suggests that they are "twisted" and may even be in the mode of Jared Loughner:

They may provide an insight in the twisted psychology of today’s political discourse and make you wonder: Who’s the next Jared Loughner?

The best reply to Lambiet's disingenuous claim that his original story was not political came from a reader named Jason:

What significance is it that the parents of the doctors contributed to people with whom you disagree with politically. Congresswoman Giffords didn’t plan for this to happen and the attending doctors parents who treated her are now a political story???

You can’t see that you are contributing to the hate and divisiveness in our country by your rhetoric. Your last comment about the “twisted psychology of today’s political discourse..” shows you don’t realize you are a contributing factor to what is fundamentally wrong with “media” today. You get to speak your mind without consequence and if people disagree with you in the same manner in which you attack them, they are the crazies. I wish you the best, but hope you realize stirring things up doesn’t help a community in any way.

It is obvious that Lambiet is so far gone that he probably won't apologize but what is the excuse of the Palm Beach Post?