According to an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Michael Joesph Gross, the author of the latest controversial profile of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the "worst stuff" people had to say about her isn't even in the final version of his Vanity Fair story. Gross also takes exception with the notion that his article is a "hit piece." He says he started out with "every good intention" for the governor. And he admits he was sympathetic to Palin as he began his research. He said he wanted to write a positive story because he shares being a small-town Christian with her, and he thought she got "a bum ride" and that some of her media criticisms have had merit. However, after being "shocked and appalled" by what he found, he says, "I wrote this story sort of against my will. It wasn't what I wanted to write, it wasn't what I wanted to find. It was what was forced on me by the facts." Gross also notes, "The worst stuff isn't even in [the profile]."Watch his appearance below (via msnbc.com).