Modern Washington has always offered up an impressive roster of toadies. Yet the Trump administration seems to have offered up a unique period of bowing and scraping. Historically, sucking up takes a variety of forms, from pretty compliments to cloying flattery and outright treachery. 

But it doesn't stop there. The kind of sycophant we see from the GOP combines other attributes like hypocrisy, lying, and manipulation. 

Throughout history we’ve certainly seen our share of sycophants; from the courts of Caligula to Dickens’ Uriah Heep. 

We certainly get to see a lot of this in Mark Leibovich's new book Thank You For Your Servitude 

My conversation with Mark Leibovich:

Get full access to Talk Cocktail Podcast at jeffschechtman.substack.com/subscribe