Tony's Diary Package — page 123

1e Column: Is Anthony Fauci the Sexiest Man Alive? Who the hell cares? Dr. Anthony S. Fauci speaking at the White House Friday. (Carolyn Kaster / AP) By MARY MCNAMARACULTURE COLUMNIST AND CRITIC APRIL 18, 2020 6 AM For the love of God, can someone please tear up the petition to make Dr. Anthony Fauci People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive? If not, can we please at least stop talking about it? I get that it's a compliment; for some, heaven help us, the ultimate compliment. Fauci's unflappable and highly competent demeanor has been a beacon of strength and surprise amid the squishy, tweet-driven, ass-covering, daily-contradictory triumph of personal feelings over irrefutable facts that has been the Trump administration's reaction to this pandemic. Let others voice outrage about churches closing down, or sputter about the indignity of wearing masks; express concern about the Dow Jones or explain why it is now perfectly safe for Floridians to go back to the beach (which they only recently vacated) because, well, just because. ADVERTISEMENT Dr. Fauci will continue to stand in front of microphones talking only about the things he knows. Not what he wants, wishes, thinks or feels. What he knows. No matter how blatantly Fox News anchors attempt to shift his on-air narrative, no matter how often the president contradicts him in public and to his face, Dr. Fauci quietly but firmly sticks to the facts.