Today the seething aggregate of hate known as “Michelle Malkin” is raging about “Operation Joe the Plumber.”

My syndicated column today reports on Team Obama and the Obamedia’s mission to tear down Joe the Plumber. Yes, we are in the midst of a new contagion: Joe The Plumber Derangement Syndrome. JTPDS.

In truth, not Team Obama but the mainstream news media began to “background” Joe the Plumber as soon as John McCain made him his tax policy poster boy. And it turns out he’s not a plumber, his name isn’t Joe, he owes taxes on his property. Most of the stories I’ve seen about “Joe” have been mild in tone, however. Public interest stuff to satisfy the curious.

Frankly, he doesn’t interest me that much except as an example of a pig-headed conservative who continues to vote against his own economic interests. We’ve seen his type before. It’s called “dumb.” But let’s go on …

Does anyone else remember the crusade led by Little Lulu against the parents of Graeme Frost? Thanks in part to Lulu, the Frosts got death threats.

Another of Lulu’s targets, Denise Denton, committed suicide a few weeks after Michelle published Denton’s work address on her blog, along with the accusation that Denton aided sedition. To be fair (some of us try to be fair) Denton had a number of other crises in her life at the time, but being the target of a hate swarm could not have helped. Lulu, of course, refused to acknowledge even a peripheral responsibility for Denton’s death.

I could spend the morning digging up more examples of Malkin’s reckless cruelty toward ordinary people who have done something to displease Miss Perpetual Indignity. But you get the picture.