It's not unusual…

…unfortunately, but Atrios spotlights a textbook example of the kind of bad writing that produces even worse reporting in the NYT...

As the prospect of a Democratic majority gains credibility and Ms. Pelosi is more visible, she is also subjected to the speculation and analysis about her hair, makeup and clothes that any woman positioned for such a big job often must endure.

Ah, the passive voice. Who is subjecting her to such speculation? Why, Mark Leibovich is! In the pages of the paper of record.

The passive voice provides the pretense of objectivity, I suppose, when a journalist's work is particularly embarrassing. It's in the same hand as the "some people say" card.

Of course, in this case it's sexist, petty and generally uninformative.

A complete waste of the First Amendment.