Out of 319 million Americans, Donald Trump has decided that the person he most wants atop the Department of Housing and Urban Development is Dr. Ben Carson.

Really? A man who has never held public office, who has no experience crafting policy of any sort, let alone policy specific to the housing market or urban studies, is our best option? I find this hard to believe.

In a statement announcing the nomination, Trump applauded Carson’s rags to riches story, complimenting his ability to “overcome his troubled youth in the inner city of Detroit to become a renowned neurosurgeon.”

Carson’s story is certainly deserving of admiration. But saying that this background is qualification enough to be the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is akin to somebody claiming that because she was sick once, she has the requisite experience to be a doctor. Or somebody interviewing for a pilot job and citing a plane ride he went on a few years ago as his training. It’s ludicrous.

Similarly, I would never call Dr. Carson’s surgical talents into question. The trouble is, his knowledge, skills and experience are almost entirely unrelated to his new job. Running a government agency requires more than perspective or passion or even intelligence. It requires a deep understanding of law and bureaucracy and government — all things that Carson lacks.

The good doctor himself agrees with me. Or at least he did. He was offered the job a few weeks ago and turned it down. Why? He said he was under-qualified and too inexperienced to run a government agency. The fact that he recently ran for president seems to have escaped him. Regardless, Trump eventually changed Carson’s mind.

Here’s to hoping that Carson has the wisdom to surround himself with men and women who have spent their lives amassing the expertise that he does not have. And here’s to hoping that despite some head scratching choices thus far, Trump will do the same with his remaining nominations.