In a completely self-indulgent moment, Francis Collins, the outgoing director of the National Institutes of Health, sang a version of the iconic song “Over …
In a completely self-indulgent moment, Francis Collins, the outgoing director of the National Institutes of Health, sang a version of the iconic song “Over the Rainbow” with lyrics in which he seemingly refused to acknowledge there are swaths of America that have moved on beyond the pandemic and praised HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who interviewed him, for being a “partner” who “will help to make the pathway clear to find true healing.” Collins also trumpeted himself and other health officials in the government, singing, “Somewhere past the pandemic we’ll hug our friends and thank the people and science that brought the pandemic’s end.” In his preamble, Collins stated, “And now, if you’ll indulge me, because it’s been kind of promoted as if it might be a grand finale of a musical sort, I guess I’d like to play us out with a little song. So, if I might, I just need a microphone. Why, there’s a guitar right here. How about that? Ah, yeah, this is a song where the tune will be familiar to you, unless you came from another planet recently.
