Generally speaking, the Senate should be willing to give the president the cabinet he wants. But that doesn’t mean that the Constitution’s assignment of a power to advise and consent on key appointments should be treated as a mere formality. Some presidential appointees are just bad choices that the Senate should reject, and deciding where to draw that line is a matter of judgment that should reach beyond simple partisan loyalties.

Senators have usually been pretty good about finding a reasonable balance on this front. Most cabinet nominations get confirmed, and many are confirmed with bipartisan support. That’s still true, even …