Sheer Incompetence. Again.

When Donald Trump announced that he had nominated the White House physician to be the next secretary of veterans affairs I thought it was ridiculous: Dr. Ronny Jackson, a rear admiral in the Navy, had never run a large organization. Jackson is a trauma doctor who had served in Iraq and ran the small White House medical office. The VA is a sprawling bureaucracy with dozens of facilities across the country and 370,000 employees.

Moreover, I really had to question Jackson's judgment after his fawning report on Trump's health. He said that the seriously obese 71-year-old Trump was merely overweight (he had to use a golf cart on a trip to Italy when other leaders walked), was in "excellent" health, had excellent genetics and could live 200 years if only he had a healthy diet.

Since no human has ever lived more than 122 years, no competent doctor would say this: obviously he was joking, but the health of the president (especially one as physically and mentally unfit as Trump) is not a joke. Jackson is either a huckster, a Trump sycophant or wants something from Trump.

Now Jackson's nomination is serious trouble:

President Trump acknowledged Tuesday that Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, his nominee to lead the Veterans Affairs Department, is in serious trouble amid allegations that he oversaw a hostile work environment as the White House doctor, allowed the overprescribing of drugs and possibly drank on the job.

Trump apparently did nothing to vet Jackson, and it's clear why. Republicans want a puppet in the VA who will rubberstamp their plan to privatize veterans health care, because it has a huge budget and medical service companies that contribute to Republican election campaigns want in on the action.

And then Trump said this:

“I told Admiral Jackson just a little while ago, what do you need this for? This is a vicious group of people. … What do you need it for?” Trump said Tuesday, during a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. “I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it. What does he need it for? I don’t think personally he should do it. It would be totally his decision.”

Huh? Trump asked Jackson to run the VA, knowing full well what the nomination process involves. Trump is complaining that senators are doing the job that his administration failed to do before tweeting out Jackson's nomination. This is sheer incompetence.

The vetting process at the Trump White House appears to be this: if Trump likes what you say on TV, then he thinks you're qualified for a job in his administration. Jackson clinched his nomination with his hyperbolic press conference on the president's physical.

Other recent hires (including some aborted hires) from TV land include talking heads John Bolton (Fox News), Joseph di Genova (Fox News), Larry Kudlow (CNBC), Heather Nauert (Fox News), Mercedes Schlapp (Fox News) and Tony Sayegh (Fox News).

And, of course, how can we forget Anthony Scaramucci's blazing 10 days as White House communications director? His qualifications: Trump liked how the Mooch buttered him up on TV.

Nobody in the Trump administration knows what they're doing. Like Scott Pruitt (EPA), or Ben Carson (HUD), Mick Mulvaney (Consumer Protection Agency), Ryan Zinke (Interior), Rick Perry (Energy), Betsy DeVos (Education), and countless others. All these appointees actively oppose the missions of the agencies they run or are completely oblivious about them.

This is why so many Trump appointees are constantly getting in trouble for ethics violations and profligate spending.

Worst. President. Ever.