(CNN)Writing about Donald Trump and his Cabinet appointees is becoming a complicated task, because readers cannot readily discern satire from straight comedy, or even fact. But "facts," President John Adams once said, "are stubborn things."
They can also be difficult to believe.
Could they be right about each other? If he is confirmed, however, Perry's job will be less about drinking the dinosaur wine of the fossil fuel industry than it is about dealing with nuclear energy. The position relies on critical technical expertise to manage the global threats posed by nuclear weapons. In fact, Moniz, the nuclear physicist, handled much of the Iran disarmament deal negotiated by the Obama administration. Trump may blow up that deal, (and, hopefully, not the world with it), but Perry lacks any type of insight into nuclear arms or energy. In addition to that D he got in "Meats," the pride of Paint Creek, Texas, also earned a C in physics, two Cs, a D, and an F in four chemistry classes. People might be worrying about Perry's management of America's nuclear arsenal but let me assure anyone reading this that there are Texans still wondering how a real cowboy can almost fail a class in meat. Oil companies need not fret, however. The new energy secretary will do nothing to constrain their exploration. He might even pressure Trump to sell sponsorships of national park lands. Vacations will be glorious in the ExxonMobil Arctic Wildlife Refuge and the British Petroleum National Seashore. Having Perry at the helm of DOE, in fact, may become the strongest argument for eliminating the agency. America will have an energy secretary who believes scientists are manipulating data to fake climate change, and will say the same thing even when dolphins swim through the middle of Texas. During his time in the Texas capitol, Perry once ended a TV interview with a reporter by saying, "Adios, Mofo." The recorded phrase became a mantra for his political opponents, who thought they were done with an irrationally conservative, anti-science officeholder.
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