Rex Tillerson's aide had to teach him the difference between allies and adversaries

Tillerson had to have the concept of allies and adversaries — the sort of concept American children learn in grade school — explained to him in his third month on the job as America’s senior diplomat.

The revelation is the latest bit of evidence in a constantly growing docket of information that shows just what a mess the Trump administration has made of the U.S. government in just one year.

Politico reports that senior Tillerson adviser Brian Hook wrote him a memo on May 17 after he said human rights should not be an obstacle to America pursuing its interests. As Politico notes, “The May 17 memo reads like a crash course for a businessman-turned-diplomat.”

The document says, “Allies should be treated differently — and better — than adversaries. Otherwise, we end up with more adversaries, and fewer allies.”

It is a shockingly basic statement that most children in the country understand, yet Tillerson had to have this explained to him.

Perhaps even more alarming is that it is not known whether Tillerson actually read the memo.

Tillerson had no diplomatic experience when Trump nominated him, and he spent the previous 41 years of his life working his way up the ranks of ExxonMobil, eventually becoming its CEO. Only four members of the Senate Democratic Caucus supported his nomination, with all the Republicans backing him.

This news about Tillerson’s ignorance comes at the same time another unqualified Trump nominee has been exposed. Matthew Petersen, Trump’s choice for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., dropped out after a disastrous Senate hearing that showed he knew little about the laws he was slated to uphold.

Two other judicial nominations sent up by Trump were also drummed out due to their woeful professional inadequacies.

This isn’t a coincidence. Trump has never taken a serious approach to governing, and has shown practically zero interest in doing even the basics that are required for his job. He has spent more time feuding with the NFL and golfing than vetting the individual responsible for the diplomacy of the United States, and judges whose decisions will reverberate through millions of people and their communities.

It is a dereliction of duty, and a prime example of his absolute inability to be entrusted with these vital life and death issues. Lives are on the line, and Trump is putting them in extreme danger.