There are a lot of theories floating around as to President-elect Donald Trump’s motives in putting forward a raft of highly objectionable Cabinet picks. Perhaps he’s just firing a shot across the bow of Establishment Washington by proposing nominees who are blatantly unqualified for their positions or actively hate the agencies they would lead. Or maybe he’s pursuing a “flood the zone” strategy whereby dangerous nominees glide to confirmation while sharks gather to devour weaker candidates whom Trump is willing to sacrifice.

But either of these explanations depends on the assumption that once he’s told by Senate allies that Matt Gaetz or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or Tulsi Gabbard or some weirdo yet to be named cannot be confirmed, Trump will withdraw the nomination to avoid embarrassment all around. That has been the practice for a long time: In the last century, 12 Cabinet nominations have been withdrawn (several other announced nominations were........

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