The Off Topic Topic

[crazy canuck]

One of the advantages of the American system over a Parliamentary system is they can appoint cabinet members who have some expertise.  So why not appoint someone who is both a good manager and has at least some subject matter knowledge.

If you can have both, that's great, although I'd prioritize management over SME.  That said, I think that the pool of people who are good managers, who have a good base knowledge within their department, who are actually capable of effectively managing people who know much more about their field of expertise than they do (which isn't an easy thing) and who are aligned with the policy direction of the administration might be very small.  Particularly for this administration. 

Yes, that is all accurate.  I was responding to your more open ended question about whether experience matters.