Michelle Obama: Is she fair game?

They loved to hate Hillary Rodham Clinton. They loved to hate Teresa Heinz Kerry. And now, it appears, conservative voices are taking on Michelle Obama.

"Mrs. Grievance," bellowed the cover of a recent National Review in reference to her. The magazine's online edition titled an essay about her stump speech "America's Unhappiest Millionaire."

Michelle Malkin, a conservative blogger, called her "Obama's bitter half."

Even the relatively liberal online magazine Slate piled on. In a piece subtitled "Is Michelle Obama responsible for the Jeremiah Wright fiasco?" the contrarian Christopher Hitchens blamed her for her husband's pastor troubles because she was a member of the church first.

The would-be first lady does not make pronouncements about policy and has insisted her priority in the White House would be her two young daughters. But in speeches, Michelle Obama shares her belief that the country's spirit is broken and in need of repair — by her husband, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, whom she often describes as "special."

It was an unscripted remark as she spoke in February about the enthusiastic response to his message of hope that set off conservatives: "And let me tell you something," she told a Wisconsin crowd. "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country."

The Obama campaign clarified her remarks right away: "What she meant is that she's really proud at this moment because for the first time in a long time, thousands of Americans who've never participated in politics before are coming out in record numbers to build a grassroots movement for change."

But Tennessee Republicans and other critics saw something noteworthy in the way she originally phrased it. It was, in the words of state GOP chair Robin Smith, "condescending."

"Her comments substantiated that Barack Obama and his wife don't relate to the average American, who still flies the flag on the Fourth of July, still gets chills when the Air Force planes fly over," Smith said. "It's not about racism, it's not that they're Democrats. It just feeds the narrative that they're essentially out of touch with America."

And the issue has shown no signs of going away, raising the question of whether Michelle Obama is "fair game."

Most commentators agreed the 44-year-old Harvard law-school graduate — a powerful surrogate for her husband who has made many high-profile solo appearances — should not be immune. But the harsh tone has bothered many, even some who do not support her husband.

"It's exactly why I hate politics," Republican pollster Frank Luntz said. "It's wrong. It's attempting to demonize someone who is very smart, very accomplished but not totally tuned to the dangers of political discourse."

Mark Mellman, who was Sen. John Kerry's pollster when he ran for president in 2004, agreed: "I think it's despicable on one hand but to be expected on the other."

Michelle Obama's antagonists ignore her when she says, "We have overcome so much in this country: racism, sexism, civil wars." Instead, they focus on: "Life for regular folks has gotten worse over the course of my lifetime." Or: "Our souls are broken. ... The problem is us." Or: "We're too cynical. And we are still a nation that is too mean. Just downright mean to one another. We don't talk to each other in civil tones."

In a climate in which sound bites are recycled and context ignored, Michelle Obama's more dour pronouncements have paved the way for brutal critiques.

So cutting is the faultfinding of late that first lady Laura Bush this week came to her defense, pointing out that, in the circles where she now travels, "everything you say is looked at and, in many cases, misconstrued."

In any case, Michelle Obama doesn't intend to sit by quietly. Now that her husband is the presumptive Democratic nominee, the campaign is planning to beef up the staff to deal with the new level of attention being paid to her.

And next week, she will appear one day as a guest co-host of the ABC program "The View," a televised version of the kaffeeklatsch setting that has been her forte on the campaign trail for months.

"This is a huge debate among Republicans," said Malkin, who noted that until Michelle Obama's "proud" remark, "she was the new glamorous Jackie O., and most stories focused on her pearls and wardrobe." But, Malkin added, "from what I've seen, she's not stopping what she's doing, and I don't think the rest of us should ignore her and treat her with kid gloves."

Picking on potential first ladies is nothing new.

In this campaign, Judith Giuliani, the third wife of former Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, was the subject of merciless profiles that depicted her as a husband-stealing social climber.

Hillary Clinton was derided in 1992 after saying, "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession, which I entered before my husband was in public life."

In 2004, Heinz Kerry was a target. Sometimes, the outspoken heiress brought it on herself, as when she told a reporter to "shove it" and said — incorrectly — that Laura Bush had never held a "real job."

Critics have to play this carefully, said Democratic strategist Dave "Mudcat" Saunders, known in party circles for his expertise in courting the regular guy.

"A shot at Michelle could backfire every bit as easily as drive votes, especially if it is done with a race-based argument," Saunders said. "It could be they're just laying the groundwork for the ol' timey whisper campaign."

Maybe that's why the Republican National Committee and the campaign of Sen. John McCain are carefully avoiding anything that looks like participation.

But that doesn't mean other Obama critics won't speak their piece. Indeed, in a Washington, D.C., studio, Citizens United is scrambling to finish a 90-minute anti-Obama documentary. According to its president, David Bossie, the film probably will include the Michelle Obama "proud of my country" clip.

Bossie, a longtime Republican operative, bridled at the charge that singling her out is uncivil. "Nobody's picking on her; nobody's being unfair to her," he said. "She needs to be mindful that those types of statements will be used against her husband."

Recently, rumors about divisive comments made by Michelle Obama have swirled about the Web. Although unsubstantiated, they were appearing so often that they prompted a reporter to ask her husband about them.

"There is dirt and lies that are circulated in e-mails, and they pump them out long enough until finally you, a mainstream reporter, asks me about it," Barack Obama said. "That gives legs to the story. ... Frankly, my hope is people don't play this game."

It's unclear, however, how much difference a spouse makes in a campaign.

Voters will say they discount the spouse, Mellman said. But "beneath the surface, it can help in forming an overall impression of a person," he said. "People assume if they don't like the spouse, they don't like the candidate."

Information from the Chicago Tribune is included in this report.