The cutting putdown has been a handy weapon of choice for many successful politicians and pundits.

Winston Churchill, considered one of the most cutting in the business, once famously described British Prime Minister Clement Attlee as

A sheep in sheep’s clothing.

Today, with all the high octane partisan rhetoric flying around Washington, there are more jabs being thrown than ever before.

To help us parse the slaps from the sneers, Harvard Law Professor Cass Sunstein has put together a useful Consumer Guide to Political Snark.

 As a former administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Sunstein has heard the battlefield of bluster up close.

He describes the 7 tools of the master mocker from Absurdity to Elitism.

It is worth a read… whether you are trying to fathom our partisan political follies or hoping to further refine your personal snark skills.