Kathleen Parker March 28, 2014

 The past couple of weeks have marked a turning point in American uglinessas the mob has turned its full fury on first lady Michelle Obama.

From criticism of her trip to China to a recent “tell-all” by former WhiteHouse assistant press secretary Reid Cherlin in the New Republic aboutObama’s allegedly tyrannical behavior, the gloves have been removed.

As described, she was a perfectionist — super-attentive to detail andlaser-focused on advance planning. And this is bad because? Worse,according to a former (anonymous) staffer, there was no barometer formeeting Obama’s high standards.

“The first lady having the wrongpencil skirt on Monday is just as big of a [mess-up] as someone speaking on the record when they didn’t mean to or a policy initiative thatcompletely failed,” said the former aide. “It just made you superanxious.”

Yes, high-pressure jobs are often like that. And thewrong skirt isn’t nothing when every scarf, sweater or sneaker isanalyzed as though Vladimir Putin’s next move hinged on a hemline.

Other criticism sliming the Internet has been leveled at Obama’s China trip,which to some seemed like just another vacation for the first lady, herdaughters and her mother, Marian Robinson, who was described by a single disgruntled Chinese hotel staffer as “barking at the staff.” All otherstaff commented on how nice everyone was, but a British reporter managed to find one ticked-off person.

Brilliant.

As forvacations, Hawaii may be an enviable destination, but China? (Pleasedon’t feel compelled to share your China vacation story. I’m sure it was great.) Moreover, goodwill exchanges are among our most effectiveinstruments in diplomacy, soft or otherwise. What is more humanizingthan a mother, her daughters and their grandmother?

As for theconduct abroad, a snapshot doesn’t tell the story. Obama’s no-pressstipulation is problematic, to be sure, but I can confidently reportthat the Obamas are recognized for their superior attention to protocol. Witness Obama when she met Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 and nationalsecurity adviser Susan Rice during the president’s recent visit withPope Francis. Both ladies wore black attire, including mantillas.

This is proper dress for women at the Vatican, and I’m told they wereobserved appreciatively. Aren’t proper conduct and decorum what wereally want from our presidential spouse?

Instead, the hatersprefer to focus on a frame here and there in which Michelle Obama iseither not wearing the happy-wife smile or dressed too casually fortheir taste. Those in the public eye for any period of time will fail to present their best face in every instance — or they’ll haveperfectionist minders micromanaging any potential downside.

Or backside.

When I traveled with then-first lady Laura Bush to the Middle East in 2007,members of the media were asked to turn their backs (and cameras) asBush climbed into a dug-out area in Petra, Jordan. At all times, we were told to position ourselves well ahead of the first lady. This wasmostly for security but also ensured the most flattering camera angles.

Who besides Kim Kardashian wants a photographer snapping your hindquartersas you climb a hill or hoist yourself into a camel saddle, as Bushgamely did.

Is this contrived and, therefore, dishonest? Whocares? Honesty is about capturing the subject as she is — a lady withdignity who holds one of the most important positions in the world.Wouldn’t we want our first lady seen at her best?

Every firstlady faces trials, and Hillary Clinton’s years in the White House werecertainly no picnic. Even Bush felt the sting now and then. But theharsh barrage against Obama, often in the most personal terms, is in aclass of its own.

To what do we owe this fresh venom?

Some might say it’s all about race — and though surely true in some cases,this seems too facile an explanation. Perhaps with President Obama’sapproval ratings in the low 40s, it is our animal nature to pile on theweakened leader. How better to hurt him than to attack his family?Perhaps there is a kernel of truth to the East Wing as the “worst wing,” as Cherlin called it.

Alternatively, maybe some staffers weren’t up to the job and, lacking the maturity or self-awareness (not tomention loyalty), to accept their own responsibility, they turned to the dubious consolation of dishing dirt.

The thing about dirt, however, is that it’s dirty. And the used-to-be-somebody holding the shovel usually gets dirtiest of all.